CJI and Hapoel Tel Aviv Bring One Team One People to Paris
- Center for Jewish Impact
- Oct 16
- 2 min read
In Paris, the Center for Jewish Impact convened a focused roundtable in cooperation with UNESCO, CRIF, and the Embassy of Israel in France, alongside Hapoel “IBI” Tel Aviv and Paris Basketball, to spotlight how sport can counter hate and build social cohesion by creating a shared language for education, resilience, and coexistence. After the roundtable, Hapoel Tel Aviv and the Center for Jewish Impact visited ORT Montreuil School to speak with students about identity and belonging.
The event, held under CJI’s One Team - One People initiative, brought together diplomats, ambassadors, civil society leaders and senior sports executives — including Center for Jewish Impact Chairman Robert Singer, senior representatives of Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball Club and Paris Basketball President David Kahn.
The meeting fostered dialogue on the role of sports as a bridge for tolerance, understanding and resilience in the face of hate and polarization, highlighting how athletic cooperation can help promote education, coexistence and social responsibility across Europe.
“Sports are far more than a game - they are a universal language of connection, education and dialogue," said Center for Jewish Impact Chairman Robert Singer. "Through One Team - One People, we aim to demonstrate that even amid rising antisemitism and division across Europe, it is possible to build bridges of hope and humanity. Seeing diplomats, leaders and Israeli and French basketball players around one table - that is the real victory.”
Ofer Yanai, Owner of Hapoel “IBI” Tel Aviv, noted that the collaboration carries “profound meaning in light of the alarming rise in global antisemitism,” emphasizing that sports “have always been a bridge connecting people, cultures and communities.”
Noëlle Lenoir, former French Minister for European Affairs and Constitutional Judge, warned that “extremist Islamist movements are gaining ground, using sports as a platform to spread hatred - a challenge we must face together.”
“Sports hold immense potential to shape societies, yet too often lack government priority. UNESCO’s Global Report on the State of Sports dedicates special focus to racism and antisemitism, proposing educational strategies to prevent the spread of hate through sport,” added Alexis CHAPELAN, UNESCO Sports Department in the Social Sciences and Humanities Sector.
The Paris gathering forms part of a broader series of initiatives led by the Center for Jewish Impact across major European cities, designed to deepen dialogue on tolerance, diversity and the unifying power of sports.
Following the roundtable, representatives of Hapoel Tel Aviv and Paris Basketball visited ORT Montreuil School, where they met with teachers and students to discuss identity, belonging and community through the shared language of sports and education.
