With the completion of the new Neve Ilan neighborhood, there arose a need for a community center to answer the needs of the residents. An appeal was made to local donors and donors overseas for contributions to enable the building of a community center. The community center was built with generous donations from the Archie Sherman Foundation andThe Joseph Levy Charitable Foundation of England.
The community center has an auditorium for cultural events with 350 seats and a stage, rooms for various activities, offices and toilets. The community center is home to social, cultural, sports and communal events.
As the scope of activities taking place at the Neve Ilan community center expanded, it became necessary to add a second floor to the center. Once again an appeal was made to the Archie Sherman Foundation and to The Joseph Levy Charitable Foundation of England to fund the extension. Both Foundations approved the additional donation, and The Ashkelon Foundation will be starting planning and building very soon.
.The Neve Ilan Community Center's 500 Meter Expansion
Dec 2010
The new wing of the Neve Ilan Community Center was inaugurated with a moving ceremony on October 29th. In attendance were donors to this project, from the Sherman Foundation and The Joseph Levy Charitable Foundation, the Mayor of Ashkelon, the Chairman of Keren Ashkelon, the Director of Keren Ashkelon, public figures and residents of the neighborhood.
The new wing has doubled the area of the Community Center, with an addition of 500 square meters. The extension includes three halls, which are designated for youth activities, a dance hall, a municipal chess hall, and seven classrooms which allow for expanding the range of activities.
The Neve Ilan Community Center is the biggest community center in the city and hundreds of children, teenagers and adults participate in the activities which are held there.
Due to these extensive activities and their understanding of the changing needs, the donors were convinced to expand the Community Center by adding rooms and halls, and together through fundraising activities, with the assistance of Keren Ashkelon Board Member and Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, Moshiko Giat, who has been involved with the project since its beginnings, the expansion was made possible, at an overall investment of three million shekels.
Keren Ashkelon's Director, Meir Bouchnik, and the Community Center Director, Gad Manor, commended the involvement of the donors and are sure that their esteemed contribution, which has helped to expand the Community Center, will enrich the lives of the society and the community in the city, and will provide the residents of the neighborhood and the city with an additional range of cultural services.
