Beit Halochem Tel Aviv opened its doors in 1974, after the Yom Kippur War. It was built on seven acres of land allocated to the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization by the late Yehoshua Rabinovitz, then mayor of Tel Aviv. The principal contribution for the Centre was provided by the Aktionskomitee “Pro-Israel” of Switzerland.
The 10,000-square-meter complex includes a multipurpose gymnasium, classrooms, treatment rooms, rest accommodations, culture halls, cafeteria, indoors swimming pool, massage and hydrotherapy unit, shooting gallery and 350-seat auditorium. The grounds include outdoor playing fields and an Olympic-size swimming pool.
Beit Halochem Tel Aviv initiates and encourages research on various subjects, such as sports for the disabled and problems related to spinal injury and brain damage. Various sociological and psychological aspects are studied at medical and rehabilitation centres, as well as in universities and physical education institutes.
About 5,500 Zahal disabled veterans, living in the country’s central region, are active members in Tel Aviv. Including their immediate families, the overall number of participating members comes to 18,000.
Canada’s ‘Man in Motion’ in TA
In 1985, Rick Hansen made his famous “Man In Motion World Tour”. Today, that journey continues. As president and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation, he has helped generate $200 million for spinal cord injury research and quality-of-life programs. His efforts help improve the prognosis and opportunities for newly injured individuals.Canada’s “Man In Motion” Rick Hansen recently visited Israel as part of a Mideast tour to create greater awareness for accessibility as well as to further research on spinal cord injuries (SCI).
In the video below he visits Tel Aviv’s Beit Halochem Centre, where he heard first-hand from several Zahal Disabled Veterans how Beit Halochem has helped change their lives.