Israeli Tennis and Education Center Dedicates Garden to Memory of Tennis Star IDF Officer Killed in Gaza – eJewishPhilanthropy

A therapeutic community garden in memory of Israeli Defense Force Maj. David Shakuri, an avid tennis player killed by sniper fire in Gaza in February, was dedicated in a ceremony on Friday by the Israel Tennis and Education Center-Jerusalem (ITECJ).

His wife, Daphna, who initiated the project, said tennis was her husband’s entire world before he signed up and she wanted to do something meaningful to honor his legacy in the tennis world. He had envisioned coaching their young daughter, Yahli, when she was old enough, she said.

The garden was created by ITECJ in collaboration with online freelance platform Fiverr; nonprofit Venatata, which creates community and therapeutic gardens; and Hanoch Daum, an Israeli media personality who also trains regularly at the center. It’s intended to be a place where people can relax and take a step back from their athletic pursuits by engaging in the age-old Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, which involves immersing themselves in a lush, plant-filled environment to slow down and awaken the senses to be present in the moment, fostering a deeper connection with nature and memories, said Dorielle Rimmer, vice president of Venatata, who helped design the garden.

“Anyone who knew David Shakuri recognized that one of his most defining characteristics, which still accompanies his cherished memory, was his motto to ‘do everything with a smile,’” said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion at the dedication. “At this moment, David is surely looking down on us and smiling, because there is no more fitting tribute that reflects David’s spirit than this tennis center. David was born and raised in a family that was deeply rooted in Jerusalem, and our city became an inseparable part of his identity. Today, Jerusalem honors his courage, honors his memory, and celebrates his dedication. The garden we dedicate in his name, in a place that felt like a second home to him, will serve as a living and tangible reminder of him, and his memory will remain with us forever.”

The garden contains a memorial to Shakuri, with his tennis racket in a glass case with a plaque telling his story. Shakuri was killed while leading a battalion unit and a team from Yahalom, a special forces unit of the Combat Engineering Corps, scanning Hamas command tunnels under a UNRWA school in Gaza. Shakuri's unit, along with another team, located the strategic Hamas tunnel, which served as a command and intelligence center, complete with computer servers.

Shakuri, 30, lived in the nearby Talpiot Jerusalem neighborhood and grew up at the Tennis and Education Center-Jerusalem, where he began playing tennis at age 6. He was a dedicated and talented player, consistently ranked among the best in the country. At the age he was drafted, he decided to enlist in the military rather than play tennis, but he still found time to play tennis with friends when he could. He last played two weeks before his death.

On Tuesday, a total of 674 Israel Defense Forces soldiers were present have been murdered and about 4,000 wounded since the Hamas attack on October 7, the military said.

“David was a competitive player with a deep passion for the world of tennis. Since he first arrived at the Israel Tennis and Education Centers-Jerusalem, he felt at home and spent most of his time on the tennis courts. After we learned of his death in battle, it became clear to us that we would do something special in his memory. The idea of ​​a memorial garden came from the desire to bring everyone together and create a place of joy and reflection within the center,” said Dani Mizrahi, ITECJ Manager.

Eyal Taoz, CEO of the Israel Tennis and Education Centers, noted that ITEC was founded after the Yom Kippur War, another period of turmoil for Israel, when founders in the United States, South Africa and England decided to bring tennis, which has the stereotype of being an elitist, inaccessible white sport and a sport of the rich, to the periphery and disadvantaged neighborhoods of Israel, by establishing the first center in Ramat HaSharon. Children from lower socioeconomic areas in Tel Aviv and the other surrounding communities began coming to the tennis center and were given free training and equipment for the first five years, he said.

Later, the tennis centers expanded to surrounding cities, including Ofakim, Tiberias, Kiryat Shemona, Beersheva and Dimona, he added.

Over the years, they have used their centers across the country to set up programs for abused girls, children in wheelchairs, children with motor disabilities and children with autism, he said, while teaching them the principles and ethics of tennis, including sportsmanship, perseverance and social excellence.

As fighting continues in Gaza, the centers have also made their facilities available to about eight wounded soldiers, some of whom are in wheelchairs, to play tennis during their rehabilitation process in collaboration with their rehabilitation professionals at Beit HaLochem (Warrior House), the IDF Disabled Soldiers Organization and the Sheba Medical Center, Taoz said.

The garden’s inauguration included a friendly tournament with celebrities, including Avigdor Liberman, leader of Israel’s Beiteinu party, who also trains at the center and supported the initiative; Daum; mentalist Lior Suchard; actor Guri Alfi; and top Israeli tennis players Yoni Erlich and Andy Ram, the latter of whom Shakuri played against 18 years ago as a bar mitzvah gift from his mother.

David Shakuri will be deeply missed by his family, fellow soldiers, friends and all who saw him on the tennis court and witnessed his passion for the game, Daum said. We will always remember David's courage and effort to honor his memory with the utmost respect.”