Lihi Came for Basketball. She Stayed for Connection
April 27, 2026
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Every time Lihi Aharoni arrives at a PeacePlayers activity, she says the same thing happens: she starts smiling. Something about the atmosphere, the joy, the opportunity for connection – mixed in with her favorite sport – kept her coming back, kept her smiling, year after year.
And that’s a lot of years. Hailing from Holon, an Israeli town just south of Tel Aviv, Lihi first joined PeacePlayers Middle East when she was in 3rd grade, after her coach, Vito, began taking her and other kids from her community to participate. Now, at age 16, Lihi can say she has literally grown up with PeacePlayers.
Basketball was what first brought her to the program. “At first I didn’t really understand the goal of PeacePlayers – they just told us to come play. But when we got there I realized it’s not only about playing. It’s really about connecting and bringing together the two religions. Yes, bringing them together and kind of eliminating the distance between them with all these fun games – not just five-on-five and all that – and it was really fun.”
Through those games and shared moments on the court, Lihi began to understand the deeper purpose behind the program: creating connections between young people who might otherwise never meet.
Despite growing up in a region shaped by conflict, she says the experience never felt uncomfortable or difficult for her. Instead, she approached it with openness and a simple belief in respect.
“That’s just not who I am. As long as people treat me with respect, I’ll give back a thousand times more respect.”
Though Lihi immediately felt at home at PeacePlayers, not everyone warmed to the idea of her playing basketball with girls from “the other side” right away. “At first, my mom was a little worried, but after the first time [I went], she already realized that I was in good hands.”
Years after first stepping onto the court as a young child, Lihi still feels that same excitement every time she returns. What started as a place to play basketball has become something much bigger – a space where friendships grow, barriers soften, and young people discover that connection can start with something as simple as a game.
