The last time Fox News Digital spoke with Jared ArmstrongAn American Jew who plays professional basketball in Israel, the Philadelphia-born Armstrong was unsure of his next steps following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
After the attacks, Armstrong left the city where he lives, about 20 minutes from Gaza, to stay with a friend north of Tel Aviv as the conflict escalated.
Jared Armstrong plays basketball in Israel. (Jared Armstrong)
Armstrong returned to the United States shortly after the start of the conflict, but has since returned to Israel to continue playing basketball and helping Israeli youth as the war continues.
JAB Camp, a nonprofit Armstrong started in 2023 in Philadelphia, is taking place in Israel as Armstrong tries to give kids a respite from conflict through basketball.
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“Before the attacks, I was planning to do it later,” Armstrong told Fox News Digital about the launch of Camp JAB in Israel. “I wasn't going to do this at such an early time. But, since the war, I felt it was a great way to shed light, it was a great way to inspire children. The children's families, not just them, have Se have been affected: children from five years old to 15 and 16 years old.
“Some kids have parents who are in the reserves, they have family members who are in the reserves or they are fighting in Gaza. So, I wanted to use sports as a perfect way to be transformative, not only in learning but also in spirit.” Many children's spirits can be low and I think this could be a way to brighten their day. “You can expect to go to Camp JAB every week for eight or nine weeks straight.”
Armstrong's nonprofit was created to “bring together Black and Jewish youth through the game of basketball” and “speak out against anti-Black racism and anti-Semitism.”
“My goal with JAB Camp is to really shed light on a dark time. I want to use basketball as a mechanism to bring kids together, whether they are from the south or the north of Israel, and give them an outlet to forget for an hour or two what happening in the world,” Armstrong said.
Jared Armstrong runs the JAB camp. (Jared Armstrong)
“Use this time as a sanctuary. Use this time as your temple of peace so you can work together, build community, have fun, enjoy yourself.” [and] learn. And, at the same time, being able to be better. My biggest goal is to give children an outlet. “I know the light will show at the end of the tunnel if they keep coming.”
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In early January, Armstrong visited two communities in southern israel who were decimated by Hamas attacks, saying it was “emotionally hard” to see what happened.
“I visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza and I visited Nir Oz. We were one of the first groups to visit Nir Oz. They didn't allow people to go in there. And the number of burnt houses we saw when we went in was really petrifying. Each house has its own story how they tried to escape or how they went in there and killed someone,” Armstrong said of his visit to communities near the Gaza border.
“No human being deserves that,” Armstrong added. “So, it was a very emotional day. For me, it made me want to do more advocacy and diplomacy while I'm here. Talk about what's going on. I know I'm one of the few athletes who talks about it, and I feel like it's very necessary.
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“My most important speech is peace. It has nothing to do with whether or not you agree with the State of Israel. It's right or wrong. No child deserves to be killed. No baby deserves to be slaughtered. No woman deserves to be raped. If you're okay with that, then I don't have an answer for you.”
Jared Armstrong recently opened the camp. (Jared Armstrong)
With the conflict in its third month, protests against Israel continue around the world. Over the weekend, protesters and rioters gathered outside the White House, and some protesters damaged security fences and threw objects at police.
“Everyone is trying to understand why,” Armstrong told Fox News Digital when asked how Israelis react to seeing the protests.
“They really don't understand how many people can (I don't want to use the word 'side') but have no empathy for what happened. A lot of people don't have that simple empathy for what happened on October 1. 7. Forget about politics. Forget anything else. It's just about humanity. And a lot of people don't understand that. So they're really sad about it.”
Armstrong plays for Elizur Ashkelon in Ashkelon, Israel.
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