Project Inspire TB 2025 Bounce Back

$1. It doesn't seem like much, but what if your dollar wasn't alone? What if your dollar joined thousands of others? >> Every day, over 20,000 people just like you give to daily giving. And together, those dollars become answers to silent prayers. >> No one sees it happen, but they feel it. Over $25 million have already been distributed all over the world, helping those who are sick, destitute, and in need of your vital support. The kindness, the dignity, the hope. When we give daily, we build something lasting. Together, we're rebuilding what matters most. Join us. Small donations, massive impact. Let's build together. [Music] And they told me like, "Get up. Get up." And I tried, but I couldn't. I thought myself, I have to get up. If I'm not going to get up in this moment, I will die. [Music] He was wearing a CC over his shirt and he was wearing keepo while he was warming up and I was like what is he wearing? >> Steals the basketball. Here's Sevi to the hole pass Santos lays it up with a left hand. What a meorrow [Music] sorrow [Music] in pain I am by your I'm [Music] [Applause] see [Music] [Applause] [Music] My Sorry. [Music] I may have me [Music] Give you the hash [Music] is my [Music] new call bases. [Music] The last two years have been difficult for AmIrl. We've experienced a war that's ongoing with tragedies over and over again. [Music] It's hard to imagine that we're here on Tishbove again and still tens of Jewish hostages are not back home. This has been a painful year, a year of new widows and orphans. people who lost their children, their husbands, their brothers. We are in pain, but we are not broken. And from the pain, we have seen AmIrael go out of their comfort zone in help for other Jews. We've seen AmIrael go out of their comfort zone in accepting upon themselves more of a connection to Jewish tradition. We've experienced the gullis. We're still in it, but we're also experiencing the Gula. And tishabove is the day that Messiah is born. Is the day that if we're able to take the next hour to focus inward and how could I become a better version of myself? How could I become a more connected Jew and be able to reach out to other Jews and connect them as well? This will turn this tishabove from Gulos to Gula. And that's what this video is about. We're going to hear the unbelievable story of Zevie Sammit, the Jewish basketball star, who went out of his comfort zone and decided to bring the entire basketball team on a ride and on a journey bringing them closer to Judaism. Last year on this project inspired video, we heard the story of Shelley and Mali Shamto who were davening and praying for their son to come back home. This year we're going to experience the guula of their son Omare and hear his story. Last year we heard the cry of Yolena that her husband was murdered and she's waiting for her only son Sasha to come back home. This year we're going to experience the gula of his story. [Music] I had a the great honor a year ago to sit down with your mother in kibbut nero with the backdrop of the kibbutz how it looked then [Music] did she become a person that you almost don't recognize throughout this whole story. >> Yeah, my mother changed dramatically before October 7. She was very um private person and after what happened in October 7, my dad's passing and everything. something changed together with her internal change and her growth as an individual become a much more believer in God and becoming much more connected to their inner self and in a way finding her course in life and their her purpose as she sees it and her view of life changed so drastically. She also find a lot of comfort in other people's love, affection towards her. A lot of people helped her during this tough time. She could not do it alone. Do you ever stop and realize that in that tiny room with all these terrorists flooding that little room, there were gunshots, if I remember, in the door? Yeah. >> In the hot water in the kitchen, which means this was like >> a foot or two from where you were. >> Do you realize what a miracle it is that you're alive? >> So, I will tell you the real miracle. The terrorist came, they chased me and I was stopped by the armed terrorist and they catch up to me. I turned around towards them and I lift my hands again and they just shout things in Arabic and then they shoot me in both of my legs. Immediately I felt a sharp very strong pain and I fell to the ground because the bone broke completely and my leg bent. At that point I when I fell to the ground they also hit me with the back of the rifle in the back of my head and opened it up and they tied my hands behind my back after all of this. Although I couldn't do anything, the pain was enormous and also I was numb because all the hits that I got and they told me like get up, get up and I tried but I couldn't. I thought myself I have to get up if I'm not going to get up in this moment I will die but I couldn't and I said I can't like in in English and they just pick me up and put me on a motorcycle and all of this is happening in front of my parents' porch. When we got to the border, which is not far, like a 10-minute drive, even less, >> you could see it basically from the back of your mind. >> I would drive there with bikes a lot of time. There are a lot of fields and oranges fields. And >> I think people don't realize just how close. >> Yeah. >> You could literally see it across the >> It didn't get better after that. Meaning the more loneliness and more being on your own and more not knowing of when and if this is ever going to end and not knowing what happened to your family, 498 days of captivity through all this. How did you find the courage, the faith, the determination to be able to see this through? What were some things that helped you get to a place that you were able to handle this and come out? I had the very rough start and it became harder and harder and being alone in this very hard scenario and very hard conditions actually contribute a lot to this growth and mental growth and spiritual growth. That helped me a lot. I understood that the only thing that really matters is how much you affect and do for people and other people. of course for your close family and friends but also towards other people in general. [Music] Sashi, you come out of captivity to a world that you might not have known, prayed for you every day, did everything in their power. What did that mean to you knowing that while you were going through this all, you really weren't alone in some sense? Because there were thousands and thousands of people who were with you. The more I got out there and be interacting with people and learned how much how deep they got. They learned so much about me. They really knew who I am. So it's so emotional when they meet me. Gave me so much strength to heal and so much desire to go out there and spread the story to make people more people aware about what happened in October 7 and everything that followed. But most importantly to strengthen people in their own life challenges and to make them more aware of what they may do to improve their situation and encourage them to connect more to their soul. And my family when we were watching the video clips of you being released in that process, we cried tears of joy like I don't remember us doing before. And we were not the only ones. What does that tell you about Amisrael? that it's a big family. It's a family that shows his strength in hard times and sometimes when things are good, we do not see it and we start to fight between each other as family does. And this is one of the signs that we are family, right? Nobody in the family always goes along because we feel that we can say whatever we want. We feel free to express our opinions. But sometimes we also forget that we need to love each other. Sometimes we forget that we need to hear the others opinion and not be frustrated about this opinion because maybe I can learn something from him and he can learn something from me. >> Lazar was in Israel for the wedding of his own daughter. >> Right. When you were released, tell me about that. >> I came to this yard where he was waiting and he gave me such a big hug like my father wasn't there but like a father would. He was so happy about my release and of course his wife was so emotional about it and his family and we did the pictures and everything and of course he said would you like to put fill in and I don't know I I never put feel in before but with him it felt right. I said yeah why not of course and we did it. I really prayed at this moment for my heart to get the other out. I really hope that they would eventually be able to feel the same joy and happiness that I had with their families and the ones who are deceased. I wished that they will return home so they can be buried and their families can close the circle at least have a place to mourn. Sasha, I just want to take this opportunity to wish you mazaltov and you should continue to fulfill all your endeavors and continue to be an inspiration for all of Israel. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> We want to wish Sasha and his family true healing, strength, and inspiration. and a mazletov to Sasha and Sapir. And may their story be an inspiration for all of Amisrael and help us find our inner strength that lies within each and every one of us. [Music] A cup of wine, a silent voice that was heard around the world. Omar's kittish inspired all of us. And not only was he so dedicated to making the kdish in the worst of places, his mother went on her journey being more and more connected to her Yiddish kite. We sat down with Shelley, with Omar, and with Shel's Kusa Margalit, who kept a seat open at their Shabas table waiting for Omar to hear their story, to be inspired by the inspiration that they've received in the last year and the way they have transformed their lives is an inspiration to all of us. Foreman [Music] Shel. Wow. Oh man. [Music] I live with [Music] Wow. for [Music] Ich. for telephone. for [Music] it. Amen. [Music] is [Music] I know [Music] the Fore [Music] telephone. You Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Fore! Foreign! Foreign! for [Music] Shabbat. [Laughter] [Music] I'm [Music] Margaritan [Music] Fore massage. foreign. Fore speech. [Music] I am not [Music] foreign. [Music] He's Fore! Foreign! Foreign! foreign. [Music] Wow. [Music] If there is one thing that we take away from Omar's story is that we understand our own power and how our mitzvos and felos and our actions and efforts towards towards another Jew are felt and they leave a real impact on another person's life. We're all inspired by the stories of the hostages and their families. But this past year is not just about Israel. Across the globe, there's a rise in anti-semitism and Jews from around the world needed to tap into their Jewish identity to be willing to reach out to one another and together to grow in their Yiddish kite. Zevy Sammit, star basketball player, did exactly that. He could have focused just on winning the championship and bringing the trophy home. He could have focused on his own personal and spiritual growth. But he opted to look around and to see that there are other teammates who are not as connected as he and to give them an opportunity to grow in their connection to their Judaism. [Music] Fall away three for the lead. For the lead. Time out. Farming. Oh my goodness. Seven. [Music] Zebie is our third out of five children. Leinhara, ever since he was a little child, we noticed that he had a lot of energy. I grew up in a home where positivity was really stressed. Both of my parents focused on finding the good in everything. So when Zevy would wake up very early in the morning and had a lot of energy, I just looked for what can I do to help channel this energy? What can I do to help nurture it in the best way possible? I decided to take him outside in the mornings very early. If it was cold, I would put a sweater on him and we would play catch together. And I would teach him I would teach him how to play catch and how to throw. And very early on we noticed that he had some talent, a lot of natural talent. >> Learning wasn't that easy for him. We went through a number of schools during his childhood just to try to find that right connection to him because he needed that a little bit more attention, a little more help, but all the while we tried to still build that sports ability. >> My parents really understood me as a child and understood that what's best for me. Maybe I didn't grow up and do all the things that they wish their kid would have done, but they adjusted and adapted and wanted the best for me in every situation. >> Zebian art getting into high school. We live here in Muny and many of the schools don't really address that child per se. So, we looked into the schools outside of Muny, one in Tene, one in Manhattan. My parents found a school in Tene, which is called TABC, Tor Academy in Bergen County. Every single class was 40 minutes. My parents thought that it was amazing for me for my attention and to be able to sit still and and they had sports teams. >> We really wanted him to go there because we felt that that would be the place that would be able to nurture his strengths. He did not get in because he was a very energetic student and it was hard for him to learn and he did not come from Tene. He came from my so they were very hesitant to accept him at that time. >> When they did accept me, they put me on a two-page list probation. I said I have no other choice. I went >> we had a teacher or two that took him under his arm and you know to help him channel that energy. >> I wasn't learning so much here and there a little bit. I would learn with Kusas on the phone with my cousins and I would have to like 10 minutes be bouncing off the roof and just it would be very hard for me. But you know I started developing it a little more and I had good parents and good older siblings that played a big role in me looking up to them and realized that Torah is very important but I just wasn't there yet. The first year on the basketball team, he was on the bench and he wasn't happy about it. >> My self-confidence was not great because I didn't play like I thought I would. And it was just very hard for me. I kept doing it because I felt it was right and I love basketball, but it's very hard to just sit on the bench and watch all my friends succeed and me just being like, I could do that too, but I'm not getting the chance. The summer after 9th grade, Zevi came home and said, "You know, Iman Aba, I really want to be one of the starting five. Can you help me do that?" And right away, my parents stepped in, and they even offered to pay for it. They found a coach that just finished college, but he scored a,000 points in his career. And my father thought, "That is somebody that Zebie could learn from." And they trained together the whole summer. >> I had to earn everything. I had to read books. I had to write essays. I had to work really hard in academics in the summer in order to get basketball training covered. So I train a few days a week for a few hours and I got really good. Came into 10th grade. I was now one of the better players in the league. Finally, I was doing a little bit better in school. Still had a lot of energy and getting more comfortable now. You know, I'm not on probation anymore, but it was still like very bouncy and I was just trying to use my energy for basketball. During all my breaks, I would play ball and train and do all kinds of drills. We actually have a lot of appreciation for this incredible coach that Zevy had throughout high school. He really believed in all of his players and he really believed in Zevy and Zevy felt it. He at one point even told Zevy that, you know, Zevy, you express that you really want to be good at basketball. You actually have the potential to be the best player that ever stepped on this court. It's in your hands. And he loved that. He loved that motivation. >> Beginning of 10th grade was the year that on paper they looked very strong as a team. and he looked forward to that and then once they started playing and started winning they were looked at to be one of the better teams and he just started shooting and making shots and towards the end of that year we didn't have a very successful championship game that we lost two championships I felt broken after the year I remember calling my coach and I'm like how am I supposed to continue playing basketball I didn't play at all 9th grade and now 10th grade I lost two championships the point of playing basketball is to win not to lose so after loss after loss it's just very hard to pick yourself back up 11th grade we finally made the championships but it got cancelled because of co so again in my mind 9th grade I didn't play 10th grade I lost two championships and now 11th grade we we made the championships but it got cancelled and it was very difficult for me during co I started doing basketball training for 5 to 7 hours a day it enlisted 2 hours of jumping program 1 hour of shooting 1 hour of lifting weights 1 hour of dribbling and twice a week I would go a volleyball court with no net and it would just be sand and it would work on my speed and agility that I set up programs for myself that keeps me accountable because I wanted the results that I wanted and I knew that if I missed one day maybe I would not have got the results I wanted [Music] Basketball did prove to help him sit in class, focus, grow as a student and grow as a person and it proved to be a very healthy, productive outlet. [Music] >> Started learning a little bit more and started liking it more and I started appreciating it more and I just started feeling connected to it. After TABC uh he went to yeshiva in called Rashit which is located in Bish and Zabi really adapted to that inspiration really caught on pretty quickly. They also have a nice gym over there in which he could continue to practice. He'd have to do it kind of on his own schedule not to take away from the regular storm to which he did. You know he would call us he would send pictures from the gym at 6:00 in the morning and really committed to that. So then it came time after Sha Alf to decide what he's going to do for the next year. And my husband ended up saying something so wise that stuck with Sevy and helped him make the decision. My husband said to him, "Sevie, to make this decision, you should be thinking about is not where you're going to be learning more, but where you're going to be happy learning." That helped to make the decision to go to YU. Coming into YU was actually really risky for me because I wanted to figure out a way where I could learn three Sadarm, play basketball for three and a half hours a day and do college classes. And I figured out a schedule before I went of how I can do it. And on paper, it looks like the craziest thing in the world. It allowed me zero free time and zero time to hang out with friends. And I said, "This is what I want to do. I'm going to try to do it." And Barash, I was able to do it. And I stuck to my schedule every single day. [Music] The first day I met the guys on the team, I see one guy with a red hair afro with earrings. See another guy with tattoos. I'm like, what in the world is this? I played a lot with people all over New York City that were not Jewish that had earrings and tattoos, but now it's Jewish team. A lot of these guys were not affiliated at all. [Music] I was born in New Jersey, but I moved down to South Carolina when I was three. And that's so I spent most of my life there. I didn't have the most religious background. I grew up going to public school, the only Jewish kid. I didn't say I would grow up too observant, maybe go to shul on a Saturday. >> I grew up actually in Dallas, Texas. Both my parents are bubas from around the world. and a large percentage of my class didn't keep shabas and so a lot of time felt like I was kind of like on my own with it. >> I grew up mostly in Roshine in Tel Aviv. Beginning I didn't really know much of any holiday any traditions and at the age of 15 I left Israel. I went to play high school basketball in Northern California. spent there four years, finished high school, and then I was looking to play in colleges in in America, and I contacted YU, and they wanted me to come and play for them. Yes, why not? >> The first time I met Zebie was one of our first preseason workouts. We were in the in the gym at like 5:30 in the morning and he was wearing his CC over his shirt and he was wearing a keo while he was warming up and I was like, "What is he wearing?" I I obviously I knew what the hip was but I didn't know what the t the tiss was and ever since then as the season went on we just became closer and closer. >> I went up there was a freshman retreat we went on the bus I sat next to and then he's like telling me that he's learning about >> and I said I need help in Hebrew. So some of the words of the mission bro I didn't know I said can you help me he said yeah >> cuz honestly I wanted to be educated I wanted to know why are the reasons people doing it and why maybe maybe I want to do it I don't know and then Zevy suggested me if I want to try and do that he said why not so we got him a cup he started doing it every day put a sign of modi on the wall and he started saying it every day >> was always our vision to help all of our children to make a kesh hashem in whatever ever they choose to do. Zevy plays basketball to be able to have an outlet for himself and to be able to be an inspiration to others. [Music] The next year, he said to himself, you know, as the games were going on, said, "You know what? Let me do a a Friday minion with the team. Minion with the Max, he called it. Minion with the Max." And he would get someone with the sponsor, you know, $1,000, $1,500, whatever it was, to buy the food. The guys had no idea really what they were doing, but he would teach them. They would ask they would ask some questions and they would be inspired to to try to dive in a little bit here and there and they started to feel some kind of vibe with it as a whole that that just was very positive. We have like all different kinds of stuff during the minion for guys to be involved. One guy is called the hagba man. He does hagba. We have another guy who does the arum for creator. >> Each person has their role and I think that's what makes it fun. Also sometimes we dance and sing that help us bring the team on the court together and off the court as well. Over that whole year he realized he can have a connection with these guys. So he started to establish more the next year. You know the man periodically. Then the third year there's minion every day during practice. But just that overall connection with the guys just kind of continued to grow. >> He wanted to inspire others around him that he would be spending every single day with day in and day out practicing trying to reach goals together. >> And then we just started doing small things. I would tell guys, okay, we're going to get guys in YU who are from to learn with some of the guys on the team that are not from. And I wanted to bridge the gap a little bit between both of them and say we're not any different. >> The guys that are already put on film, already dominating, but when they go out and give their film to somebody else to put on, it it helps them get closer to Hashem as well. >> I created a whole organization called Beyond the Court, which is the initiative of Beyond the Court stuff to help these guys just have an awesome time in Yiddish. just to do team bonding, but to show them that Yiddishkite is not a bunch of rules and not a bunch of dos and don'ts, but it's just having a good time and how to make a good schmuck in Yiddish. >> We'll do Shabbat tones together and people who never even didn't know what Shabas is. It's like so special. We're sitting on a table like, you know, just laughing around, messing around, singing, bonding with each other. And I think that that's the power of Shabas and that's really the impact that it has really on our team. We saw a lot of transformation of the guys on the team throughout the years and they themselves shared how much they have grown learning from Zevy and learning with Zevy and that they on their own had made some decisions to pick a Jewish girlfriend for example and that's huge to be able to to make that decision and they really say that they attributed from being inspired by Zevy. >> Zeb's secret is he leads by action. He doesn't really tell us what to do. He just does it and that's how we kind of follow him by his positivity and his actions. [Music] this past year when YU started. So, pretty much most of the core guys were coming back and they're coming off a loss in the championship game. The lead to this particular year was that this year they came in as the number one seed in their conference and that was really the time to shine and try to get to that championship to win it and move to the next level. A lot of anticipation up to that game. We knew a lot of people were going to come. >> We got to the championship and we're going to play Farmingdale State. We knew that it was championship or bust. Anything short of a conference championship would have been probably failure as harsh as it sounds. >> Get it inside. Tip to Sam. He lays it up with a left hand. >> The championship was a roller coaster. We came to the locker room down 14 and we were very down. We were just in the same situation the previous year and it was uh heartbreaking to lose. I had two fouls so my coach saw me out and I go into the locker room. I put my head down and I say, "Listen, Asham, I'm not so hopeful. Last year, same thing. 14 points. We lost by 20. This team is too good when they're up going into the half, especially 14 points." And then I picked my head back up. I said, "Listen, we have one thing that they don't have, and that's file." I said, "Hashem, if we lose, help me try to accept it, but if we win, I said, I never promise, but I said, Hashem, I promise. I'm going to use my platform to inspire many people." And I just started making shot after shot. And we started coming back. And one by one, we made shots, they missed shots. Everything happened in our favor. This was like the biggest nace. I saw it in front of my eyes. Hutch literally playing it out. >> Steals the basketball. Here's Sevy to the hole past Santos. Lays it up with a left hand. What a move. He's come up with play after play. Zebie flo three. Are you kidding me? Falls back for three again. Count that one. And again, Yoshiva can cut it to one or tie to this way for a little while. Sam dribbling elbow jumper is good. >> There were 30 seconds left in the game. We fouled one of their best players. He had the ball we needed to foul him and they were up by one. Zebie just he dribbled across that court and uh and he trusted the work he's put in and we all trusted him and uh we trusted God too. >> 34 points, 29.8. Shot clock is off. Time out. You keep it a two-point game. >> Dribbles second shot. This one's good. Here we go. in across the timeline. 20 seconds. Fall away three for the lead. For the lead. Time out. Farming nail. Oh my goodness. Zi Summit with a fall away three to take the lead with 15 seconds. >> There is a picture of him where it was like, "Yes, I did it." And that's what the world saw. But I know that in that picture it was him saying, "Hashem, this is all cuz of you." Like, "You did this. Thank you, Hashem." After the big win, I heard him being interviewed. And the guy asked him, "Zezy, how do you feel after winning the big championship game?" And I was listening closely, what's Zevy going to say? >> Victory 81 to 78. What's going through your head right now? Give us your thoughts. >> I feel good. I don't know. We worked hard the whole season. Practice at 4:5 a.m. practice before 5:00 a.m. and uh team shabatones shock everything everything pulls out together and bro just just excited. Muna taco wins championship. That's how it works. >> After the championship game, we all go into the locker room and I get in there and I'm like thinking like these guys are going to all be playing rap music and I get in there and they stop and they look at me and they go, "You ready guys?" And they all go in together. to be a nishm to be a [Applause] >> I looked at myself afterwards. At the moment, I didn't really get it. Afterwards, I was like, how special is that? You have a team that probably 50% are not religious. And after the championship game, they're all singing Gishmak on the bus ride afterwards, just playing music, having a good time, but they're all wearing sitsus. It's so cool to see these guys who never put on situs are now putting it on after they win the championship game. At that moment, I realized this is what basketball can do to somebody. Basketball can inspire not just tens, but thousands of people for the lead. He took the opportunity to look beyond himself and to look at the team members that he's playing with and to inspire them and to help them grow and each team member did grow and they loved sharing with us and with Zebie areas that they did grow in life and in Yiddish kite and getting closer to Hashem. >> Now I keep kosher, I keep most Shabbats. I try my best and I want to do kadush every Friday night and keep all the holidays and things like that. It was something that definitely I wasn't thinking that I was going to do later in life and now I do. [Applause] [Music] Today I look at the team and we are all brothers. We might have different backgrounds, different pasts, different shortcomings, different experiences, but we're all Jews. We're all yidden trying to do the same thing. Coming closer to Hashem, each in our own way is ultimately just be yourself. You have to be yourself. You have to try your best in your own way, but then to always look out for opportunities. [Music] Zeb's perseverance not only led him to success on the court, it created a spiritual brotherhood amongst all of his teammates. His dedication to Hashem and his spiritual growth, his love for every single Jew, no matter what background they're from is really what Tishab is all about. This past Shabas was called Shabas Kazone, which was the culmination of the three weeks. Each one having a unique haft tora. The first week we landed after Torah of Draer. Dra means the speech. The second Torah was shimu. Finally, this past Shabas was called the to look to see the process of the three weeks is how we talk, how we listen, and how we look at other Jews that are different than us. We may not all be basketball superstars, but we're all stars in our own right. Whether we're lawyers, doctors, coll guys, housewives, we each have our unique abilities and strength. Let's tap into those to reach out to another Jew. Sasha, having gone through what you've gone through, the ups, the downs, the connection, your mother's connection, your connection, what message would you let AmIRel know is important for them to take today? I hope that after what we experienced in October 7 and this orical event and we will take this time and we'll tell ourselves we have enemies. We always had and we always will and we as family need to stick together. This is our strength. The unity is not about being all together the same. It's about contributing each other with each own strength and overcome the disadvantages of each one of us. So I hope that people will connect more, learn more about Judaism and tradition and become a better person day by day. [Music] for [Music] for [Music] amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Don't leave this tishabove without signing up for one of the project inspire initiatives. Together we will make the change that Amis is waiting for. May we all see it soon in our time. [Music] races. [Music] Well, [Music] I'm in by [Music] my H I see a mira. [Music] Your eyes [Music] May I feel [Music] she [Music] is my [Music] call is [Music] kind [Music]