​On Wednesday, August 21st, just days before Israeli tennis star Dudi Sela is set to play in the 1st round of the US Open, he joined the kids of the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL)  for a special clinic.

Over 50 kids took part in the special classes and drills throughout the morning, during a special event organized by the Consulate General of Israel in New York in collaboration with the NYJTL and Israel Tennis Centers.

Over the past few years, the Israeli Consulate has been holding such tennis clinics, coinciding with the start of the US Open, "to bring Israelis and New Yorkers together" said Gil Lainer, Consul for Public Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in New York.

Lainer added, "We share a passion for tennis, a passion for sports. This partnership between our two great countries and the city of New York has been going on for years, and sports is just one of the outlets it manifests itself."  

Helping coach the kids for the day was Dvorah Marsha from the Israel Tennis Center in Tel Aviv. Dvorah moved to Israel from Ethiopia at a very young age during the famous "Operation Solomon," in which thousands of Ethiopian Jews were granted citizenship overnight and sought refuge in Israel. For her, tennis became a way of assimilating and adapting to the new Israeli culture, lifestyle and language, and she quickly rose to be ranked #5 in her age group.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who represents the district in Manhattan where the clinic took place, was also on hand to cheer the kids on and wish Dudi Sela best of luck next week in the US Open.

To see more pictures from the event, check out our album on Facebook!