The Sephardic Food Funds 1st SY Open

The Sephardic Food Fund’s SY Open Tennis Tournament was generously sponsored by Zvi and Jody Ben-Haim, and Jimmy and Nathan Haber, in loving memory of Joey E. Harary A”H and Amy Haber A”H. Joey and Amy were two amazing individuals who were larger than life. Their dedication and love for giving back and doing for the community serves as an inspiration to all of us, and to all of those whose lives they changed.
The Sephardic Food Fund events have grown exponentially since they began 10 years ago. I was 14 and in shul with my father when Jacky Shwecky approached me. After a brief introduction, he requested that I put together an Olympics for the Sephardic Food Fund that summer.” Completely amused, I told him I would think about it, out of respect, but really had no intention of doing anything (something we still laugh about all these years later).

Frisbee happened to be a trendy sport that summer, and knowing the SFF needed money, my friends and I decided to run a small ultimate frisbee tournament—we had about 60 players, and raised close to $2,000. Little did we know, it was only the beginning.
Over the following years, our team expanded and eventually transformed charity events, as we know them. We demonstrated to the community what a group of young leaders, with a vision and a dream, is capable of. Ultimately, we would bring our community closer together, while helping change the lives of thousands of people.
American scientist Leroy Hood said, “Don’t underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry, or a global movement, you need to have a core belief that what you contribute can fundamentally change the paradigm or way of thinking about problems.” This has been our guiding principle.What started as a frisbee tournament expanded into a tennis and volleyball tournament called Topspin, which led to the birth of Shootout, a multi-faceted sporting event with over 2,000 participants and attendees. Shootout was then paired with the Color Splash 5K, the community’s first ever color run, and in total raised over $1 million to help feed families in our own backyard.

So, the question lingering over our heads as we approached our 10th anniversary was what could we do to transform ourselves one more time, and give the community an event they would never forget? The answer: SFF’s SY Open Tennis Tournament.
On a recent, beautiful sunny morning, over 100 of our community’s best and most elite tennis players, piled into the home of Ester and Joey Jerome to collect their gear and head to their respective courts.

With five divisions, including men’s, women’s, family, under 30, and high-school, someone would take home the coveted trophy and tickets to the US Open.
After a series of dramatic upsets, thrilling comebacks, and intense play, players returned to the main house in the late afternoon where the finals were played.
With Ray T. preparing a delicious dairy BBQ and brick oven pizza, fans and family had the opportunity to take in the matches on the awesome stadium style seating. Every finals match was an absolute nail biter; it was incredible to see our community members displaying their talents.Overall, the day exceeded our expectations, and was one of the most successful events we’ve ever organized.
I would like to take a moment to thank all of the people who believed in us and our vision, and who have given us opportunities we could only dream of. To our hosts and role models, Ester and Joey Jerome, you continue to be a guiding force in our young lives, and an inspiration to continue changing the world. To Elliott Greenberg, for partnering with us and making this a memorable experience. To all of our generous sponsors and supporters, thank you for enabling us and for always being there when we need you most. To Joey Cohen and Victor Dweck of Sephardic Sports, for always entertaining us with their broadcasting.

To the SFF, for giving us this chance once more, to the Long Branch Police Department and local city officials, for always protecting and serving our community, to our security team, cleanup crew, and all of our volunteers—you each played an integral role in making this event a reality. To the best committee in the world, thank you for making our crazy ideas and dreams come true.
And finally to all of you—the greatest community in the world—for giving us the support and inspiration to keep giving back.q