Name: Jaime Kauffman
Board Title: VP of Finance
Age: 27
Originally From: Lima, Peru
Position: Winger
Favourite Team: Club Universitario de Deportes
Fun Fact: Jaime actually made Aliyah in order to play in Liga Gimmel with the club. He previously was on a visa but knowing that he could only play in the professional Israeli division if had a Teudat Zehut, our co-founder officially became a citizen of Israel!!”
''My early and passionate connection to football had nothing to do with Israel. The first game I ever played was in the living room of my house against my brother Bernardo, one of Inter Aliyah's biggest fans. I played all my life in Peru and of course, I would have loved to be a professional player.
''The first time I visited Israel was in 2009 for the Maccabiah games. I was just 16-years-old and the youngest member of the Peruvian delegation, who sent a football team for the first time since 1993.
''In the huge event, which features more than 8,000 athletes, I felt a strong connection to Israel but I did not plan on moving here. Only after I did a Masa program the following year, in 2010, I decided to move.
''I officially moved to Herzliya in 2012 to study at IDC University. From my first day here, I tried to find a team to play 11 vs 11 and I joined “El Lobo FC”, a team that was playing in a Latin American league in Wingate, which was not too serious. The best part of playing in this league was the “choripanes” after each game.
Jaime over the years; from the 2016/17 season to now
''Then everything started in 2015 when I found Inter Tel Aviv and I asked the famous Dani Markovits to invite me to play with the team. I heard there was good football going on in Yafo with this group of international friends.
''In my first training session, I was impressed with the class of some European players like Jerry, Schumi and Cedric (all three would go on to become the coaching team for Inter Aliyah). It was actually the first time in my life I was playing in a team with non-Spanish speakers; it was super interesting to see new styles of playing and ways to experience football.
''So I made my debut game against England FC, where we lost 2-1 against a team full of quality players; but at least I scored a Golazo... We were champions that year and it's actually the only official league I have ever won.
''2 weeks later, during the title celebration BBQ, we met Riki “El Presi” (Ricky Horvath) and he presented us the project and vision of Inter Aliyah. At the time, I was only interested in playing at a higher level, so I said “confirmado” for the move to register the team in Liga Gimmel.
Jaime celebrating Inter Tel Aviv's championship in 2015
''I have been playing in the first team since day one and have seen all the improvements and progress made in the last 5 years; whether that is better players, coaches, club management, etc.
''A few months after Riki founded the team, I really understood the vision and seriousness of the project, so I volunteered to do what I do professionally: manage data and numbers.
Jaime scoring against Naveh Golan in the Israeli National Cup in 2019
''Nowadays I am in charge of the team budget planning, payments, financial statements, the end of season BBQs and much more. I really don't consider it a job or volunteering. I feel I am playing “PC Futbol” with friends as when I was a kid.
''Inter is so important to me because I know it's solving two of the biggest challenges when coming to Israel: finding a group of friends and playing competitive football. Inter Aliyah is the answer to these two challenges.
''I have two dreams I hope to achieve with Inter Aliyah; one as a player and one as a board member.
''As a player, I want to climb to Liga Bet and have fans coming to support us every weekend. As a board member, I want to see this project become a reality and for us to have our own sports complex.
“Out of the less important things in life, the most important by far is football and Inter Aliyah. VAMO INTER CARAJO!!!!
''Jaimito''.