Repair the World

Repair Interview: David Lasday and Bring it In

David Lasday has been playing sports his whole life – now he is using his passion to inspire kids and connect communities in Israel and the States through his new organization Bring it In – Israel. The organization’s Israel fellowship offers young Jews (18-24) the opportunity to become certified Jewish sport coaches by volunteering with disadvantaged youth throughout Israel.

David took a few minutes to talk to Repair the World about the power of sports in community building, the values and life skills one learns on the court, and his intention to help “create a new kind of sports hero.”

What is your background with sports?
I played all kinds of sports growing up, but basket ball was my main activity. I played in high school and participated in the JCC’s youth Maccabee games. I went to college at the University of Maryland and played on intermural teams there. When I graduated, I took a job with a minor league basketball team – it was an amazing experience to learn about marketing, community building, event planning in the context of sports.

I later got involved with PeacePlayers International, which I first read about in Sports Illustrated. They use the game of basketball to bring children in conflict and post conflict regions together. I worked with them in the Middle East for three years, using basketball to teach skills and bring Arab and Jewish kids together. We emphasized teaching life skills as well as the game.

Was that your first foray into service work?
I had worked in the education field before as a tutor and teacher in Hebrew Schools. But that was more formal education. This was really my first foray into volunteer service.

What drew you to it?
My love of basketball and the region had a lot to do with it. Also, growing up my best friend was a Lebanese Christian and basketball was one of the main things that brought us together. So there was a personal connection – I had seen how sports can truly connect people.

When did you get the idea to start Bring it In – Israel?
The idea came through my work with PeacePlayers. Each year we’d have between 30-40 volunteers from MASA and other long term Israel programs. The volunteers took a tremendous amount from the experience and took it back home with them. I saw the impact it had on them and realized how it could become a formal training program. I wanted to use sports to teach life skills and Jewish values, as well as building community.

Why are sports such a powerful too for communicating these values?
You learn a lot of these things naturally by playing sports – team work, communication, discipline, goal setting, problem solving. There is also the camaraderie – just by playing you get to know your teammates better. You build trust really quickly through sports. And if you highlight teaching points and emphasize different moments in the game – which is what the coach is ultimately there to do – you can really hone in on that. You can show groups of kids how much better their team does when they support each other.

Can you share a concrete example?
I saw it with PeacePlayers when Arab and Jewish kids would high five each other and make plays together on the court. They saw each other as equals. And over the three years I worked there, I saw their comfort level with one another grow. In the beginning they were very shy and separate, but eventually they started to greet one another at practice. At a certain point you saw them hit a flow and begin to understand each other. Off the court, you saw that their connection continue on Facebook.

How will the Bring it In – Israel Fellowship program work?
Right now the training is very on the ground and service-learning focused. Fellows will be taken around the country and will lead Sports Days for children age 6-12. The hope is for them to meet and work with a wide variety of populations in Israel – people in Jerusalem and Jaffa, Russians, Ethiopians and Israeli Arabs – to really make meaningful connections with them through coaching.

During the Sports Days – which for now will be basketball and soccer, but may eventually expand – fellows will learn the Hebrew vocabulary to run games. It is kind of a sports ulpan. They will learn how to run specific games and teach basic skill development in the sport, and get the team communicating and goal setting together. They will also learn to highlight the teaching points in the game that connect to Jewish values, like kavod (honor).

What are Bring it In’s main goals?
I want to create a real connection between American Jews and Israelis. The fellows will learn important skills that they can also bring back to their own communities and Hebrew schools in the States to bring the lessons forward at home. The skills they will learn apply to a lot of the struggles the Jewish community is fighting in America – from the need for stronger communities to obesity. This program fits well into First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign.

It will also hopefully attract boys back into Jewish education. Right now the split is 70%-30% of girls and boys participating in Jewish summer camps and other programs like that. Sports is by no means just for boys, but it is generally a good way to attract their attention. I also want to attract a new type of Jewish educator – someone who wouldn’t necessarily get into it otherwise.

How long will the Fellowships last?
I’m prototyping them at 4 months, though eventually there is potential to also do spring break or winter break programs, or programs for American teenagers coming to Israel. We hope to be up and running by this October.

How can people get involved?
They can find out more at our website, but I also encourage people to go through our Facebook page to stay up to date with everything that is going on.