Surfing Group Honors Late Instructor Ido Aviv with Healing Community Photo Exhibit

The integrated surfing group "Anchor in the Water," operating under the Amitim program of the Society for Community Centers in collaboration with the Surf Cycle club in Kiryat Yam, is concluding a remarkable year with a poignant photo exhibition opening on August 18 at Beit Heine in Kiryat Haim. The group brings together individuals with mental health challenges and surfers from the wider community along the waterline, creating a space where waves blur boundaries, build self-confidence, and foster new human connections.

Participants have found not only a hobby but also a place of belonging, growth, and healing through surfing. This is the second year the exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Ido Aviv, a Surf Cycle instructor who was killed in the Iron Swords war. Aviv deeply believed in surfing's power to unite people and the sea's role as a healing and empowering space. His vision lives on through the group's community activities and connections.

Photographer Daniel Shlomona, community integration leader at Beit Heine, documented the participants' moments in and out of the water throughout the year. Her photos tell the story of a community built around a love of the sea and faith in collective growth. In a moving coincidence, Daniel discovered an old photo of Ido surfing years before she knew his story, inspiring the dedication of the exhibit to his legacy.

The exhibition will open with a speech by Ido Aviv's mother, Ami Aviv, who will share his personal story, his passion for the sea, and the legacy he left behind. Two group members will also share their personal journeys of coping, hope, and rehabilitation through surfing. "Anchor in the Water" is more than a cultural event; it is a reminder that strong communities form when people see beyond labels, and that the sea, like life, can carry us further when we surf together.