Israel Tennis Open to Air on JLTV

JLTV will broadcast the Israel Tennis Open in May 2010, the network's second year televising this tournament. The acclaimed sports event is hosted and organized by the Israel Children's and Tennis Centers (ITC) headquartered in Ramat HaSharon, a suburb of Tel Aviv. The Israel Tennis Open, a professional tournament played on outdoor hard courts, is part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour. Past participants include Yen-hau-Lu, Marsol Iiban, Benjamin Becker, Ivo Klec, and Israeli stars Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram (pictured above). The Israel Tennis Open will air twice on Sunday, May 16, noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific exclusively across America on JLTV with an encore airing at 5 PM Eastern/2 PM Pacific. Joyce Eisenberg Keefer, one of the Center's leading supporters will introduce the host organization and its various programs during the three hour broadcast. "We are looking forward to the millions of Americans who can watch the final match and understand what we are about to tune in," commented Janine Strauss, CEO of ITC. Olympic gold medalist and JLTV's lead sportscaster for the Maccabiah Games Mitch Gaylord will join Steve Grad announcing the sports special.

The Israel Children's and Tennis Centers is the largest tennis program for children in the world, reaching more than 350,000 families-5 percent of Israel's population. With 14 centers around the country, primarily in underprivileged communities, the Centers use tennis to promote the social, physical, and psychological well being of their students, and through other programs such as their Life Skills program. Another of the tennis program's goals is the development of coaches, such as Oded Yaakov, and building and maintaining courts and facilities at the highest levels. The Centers serve 10,000 children every week through a variety of programs that address development and social needs, including coexistence orientation for Arab and Jewish children and programs for a variety of disabilities.

The program has produced many top 30 players including Andy Ram, Jonathan Erlich, Shahar Peer, Anna Smashnova, Amos Mansdorf, Shlomo Glickstein, Dudi Sela, and Harel Levy. JLTV is pledged to continue to focus on sports as a way to strengthen ties with its viewers. Last summer JLTV broadcast from the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel, Maccabi Haifa basketball games, as well as a variety of other sporting events.