"A once-in-a-lifetime experience"

The Kfar Aza soccer team - the Shualim - traveled to Uruguay this month for the Masters Maccabi Games, returning not only with an impressive second-place finish, but with hearts full and spirits lifted. 

While in Uruguay, the team was hosted by Esteban Bluvol, the president of FACCMA Argentina, and embraced by the Jewish communities of Montevideo and Punta del Este – who opened their homes, organized shared meals and special events, and even surprised the players with Uruguay jerseys printed with each Israeli team member's name. Everywhere they went, the Shualim - many of them October 7 survivors -  were met with warmth, love, and deep solidarity. This journey also marked a new chapter for the team, with their teammates Gali and Ziv Berman now finally back home from Hamas captivity. 

“It’s been an incredibly moving experience - traveling to the other side of the world with dear friends from Kibbutz Gaza who have been through so much, and receiving so much love from every community we visited", shared Yftach Elkayam, delegation director. "Everyone we met said that they see us as an inspiration. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us - deeply emotional, and far from taken for granted".

Kfar Aza Shualim are part of Sha’ar HaNegev tourney of the Israeli B league, which they won in 2025.  During the war, the team continued playing to raise awareness for the hostages’ situation, dedicating their win to those murdered and those still held by Hamas.

Ido Shamriz, now team captain, stepped into the role after Idan Berman, brother of Gali and Ziv, who took a step back following October 7. Ido himself lost his brother Alon, who was also kidnapped, managed to escape, but was tragically killed by IDF fire - together with Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka - in a case of mistaken identity. 

Together with Yoni Peled, who lost both his parents and brother in the attacks, he rebuilt the team - today proudly representing Kfar Aza in Israel and around the world: “We learned together as a team, even from those we lost, that there is a healing in this", Shamriz explained. "It helps us move past the pain, and gives us a way to bring ourselves to the world and share our story. We have been embraced with so much love, and we are grateful for everything this journey has given us.”

Another teammate, Ariel Golan, survived October 7 with his wife and infant daughter after escaping their burning home. Now a coach and player, Golan shared: “They received us with a warm embrace, a lot of love, and a real desire to make us feel comfortable, supported, and wanted. It was an extraordinary experience — full of fun, connection, and time spent with the other Maccabi delegations and the Uruguayan community.”

The journey was sponsored by Maccabi World Union, as part of our ongoing efforts to support October 7 survivors, soldiers, released hostages, and families affected by the war - using sports as a force for healing, resilience, and connection. 

“It’s important because when you’re in a Jew in the diaspora, and you meet people like this - each with a chilling story of what they experienced on October 7th - it strengthens the connection of the Jewish communities with Israel, and of Israel with the Jewish communities", noted Riki Kanterevicz, Deputy Chairman of Maccabi World Union and President of Maccabi South America. 

"The local community did everything they could to make the Shualim feel at home during their visit", added Ari Kaczka, the President of Macabi Hebraica Uruguay. "We feel them - their pain is our own pain, and their joy is our joy.  It was very important for people in Uruguay to hear their testimony. We are all grateful to them for coming here.”

We are incredibly proud of these inspiring individuals - and already looking forward to welcoming many of them to the 2026 Maccabiah this summer in Israel!