Kiryat Shmona

Israel Tennis & Education Center – Kiryat Shmona

Located on the Lebanese border, the city of Kiryat Shmona was founded in 1949 by Jewish settlers from Morocco. Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, many Olim from Asia and Northern Africa helped turn Kiryat Shmona into Northern Galilee’s central hub for industry, commerce and health services. The city is just a short drive from lush green forests and magnificent mountain ridges.

Unfortunately, remnants of the Second Lebanon War are evident amongst the beauty of the Kiryat Shmona area. It is one of the youngest cities in Israel, with 33 percent of the population below the age of twenty. Living under the constant threat of rockets, ITEC Kiryat Shmona serves as a safe haven and place of respite for many of the children living in and around Kiryat Shmona. ITEC Manager Tal Amsalem, recalls from his own childhood the tension and pressures that resulted from not knowing when the next bomb would fall. The Center does its best to help the children of Kiryat Shmona cope by providing ways to vent their energies and anxieties through sport while enriching their physical and emotional well-being.