Name: David Schumann
Board Title: COO
Age: 31
Originally From: Frankfurt, Germany
Position: Central Midfield
Favourite Team: Eintracht Frankfurt and Arsenal
Fun Fact: “Schumi is one of a select few players who has played for Inter Tel Aviv (Inter Aliyah's predecessor), Inter A and Inter B. In his latest stint for the B team, Schumi dislocated his collarbone but only found out after playing a few more games with it...”
''I've always had a strong connection with Israel; coming to visit regularly from a young age with my family. Having a strong Jewish identity automatically connects me to this country and that's what prompted me to come here for a gap year, after I finished high school in Frankfurt.
''I spent the majority of that year on Maagan Michael, a Kibbutz on the coastal line, where I fell in love with a local Israeli girl, Hila, who is now my wife. My year in Israel was a very special one and I always knew I'd be back after my studies.
''I studied politics at Warwick University in the UK but kept visiting Israel every year throughout my studies and once I had graduated at the age of 23, I returned to fuel the strong connection that was still present within me.
''From a very young age I've been crazy about all sports, but in particular football. It was my father who was the biggest influence; taking me to watch the great Eintracht Frankfurt from the age of 5, a team I closely follow to this day.
Schumi with some of the other Inter Aliyah founders over the years
''Aside from watching football, I also started playing from as early as I can remember. The local Jewish team, Makkabi Frankfurt, was my home since I was 5-years-old and I experienced both the beautiful and ugly sides of playing for a Jewish club in a non-Jewish league back in Germany.
''Once I'd returned to Israel after my university studies, I knew I wanted to get back into playing regularly again. Inter was born out of a simple need: I just wanted to play football with my friends, yet it soon developed that we had built our own club, Inter Tel Aviv, and entered it into the Olim League.
''I played, coached and ran Inter Tel Aviv with the rest of the founders, many of whom worked together with me at a Tel Aviv-based startup, 90min. We competed for two seasons in the Olim League before formally establishing Inter Aliyah and registering in the professional division of Israel.
''The more we played, the more we realized there are many young Olim just like us and fast forward 7 years and we’ve built a huge community that provides a home for many Olim.
Schumi is somewhat of a free-kick specialist...
''Israel is not an easy place, especially for Olim. Many Olim who come to Israel struggle and don’t manage to find their place in Israeli society. Inter Aliyah helps you because it provides you with access to a network of like-minded people that look out for each other. I know because that’s what it did for me.
''Football is just the start for Inter Aliyah. It was the 'proof of concept' for us to realise the potential of the initiative. I see it expanding across many teams and many different sports in the years to come. The aim is to grow the Inter Aliyah brand to become known across the entire diaspora community.
''I still am heavily involved in the club in my role as the Chief Operating Officer; I am currently creating the processes to allow our club to scale, as well as setting and adjusting the club’s long term strategy.
''Inter Aliyah will always be my home and I hope to see it reach its true potential in the coming years.
''Schumi''.