Rob Siemens of Boca Raton has long championed the importance of setting a positive example for young people. His nonprofit, Play Hard Pray Hard (PHPH), began as a catchy slogan for his son’s bar mitzvah and reflects his belief in teaching kids the power of daily prayer as a path to a more purposeful life.
Recently, Siemens’ unwavering dedication led him on a trip to Israel alongside PHPH’s Advisory Board Member and former NBA Championship Eddy Curry. Curry has been a vocal advocate for the release of 1-year-old Kfir Bibas, one of the over 200 people taken captive during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Kfir’s family, including parents Shiri and Yarden and 4-year-old brother Ariel, were also among them.
During the trip, Siemens, Curry and other PHPH representatives visited families impacted by the attack in hopes of raising awareness and bringing community support to the victims. They also stopped in Sderot, a town near where the Bibas family was abducted and Re’im, the site of the Nova musical festival where approximately 364 people were killed.
Siemens reflects on that particular visit as “a humbling moment that’s hard to describe.” He adds, “Life was tragically lost, and people are still being held hostage almost a year later. It’s important that we, as an organization and also as individuals, continue to remind the world that people still need to be brought back home.”
The trip to Israel was also an opportunity for PHPH members to explore various organizations that use Israel’s advanced technology to impact people worldwide.
The group visited Innovation: Africa, which brings Israeli solar, water and agricultural technologies to rural African Villages; Save A Child’s Heart, which treats children from around the world suffering from congenital and rheumatic heart disease and United Hatzalah, a community-based volunteer organization that provides first response to medical emergencies across Israel free of charge.
“Taking the trip to Israel this July gave us an opportunity to witness first-hand Israel’s good will and dedication to help those of all faiths, not only at home, but also around the globe,” says Siemens, “Our objectives were to visit some of the charitable organizations in Israel that make an impact on the world, but first we wanted to meet with representatives of the family of Shiri and Yarden Bibas.”
Given that PHPH’s core mission lies in using sports and physical activities to foster personal growth, the group toured various Tamir Goodman basketball camps across Israel. Goodman, dubbed the “Jewish Jordan” by Sports Illustrated in 1999, runs basketball camps and programs throughout the U.S. and Israel and is a member of PHPH’s Advisory Board.
For more information, visit playhardprayhard.com.
Photo courtesy of Rob Siemens
From left to right: Rob Siemens, Joey Siemens, Eddy Curry, Sammy Siemens and Danny Siemens