Table tennis champion Estee Ackerman of West Hempstead, visited the Poway Chabad Day Camp, north of San Diego on Tuesday July 9. She spoke to the campers about her ping pong career, her Shabbos challenges and her chance at the 2020 Olympics.

After, all the campers and most of the staff had the chance to play against her, even Rebbetzin Goldstein! Ackerman also got a tour of the shul and said a perek of Tehillim in memory of Lori Kaye. Although Ackerman was there to inspire the children, she was more inspired by them.

The previous week, Ackerman competed in the 2019 U.S. Nationals Table Tennis Championship in Las Vegas where she won a gold medal in women’s Hardbat Singles (her fourth gold overall) and a bronze medal in Junior Girls Doubles teaming with Sarah Jalli of Ohio. Overall, she played in seven events finishing with a match record of 17-7. Ackerman spent Shabbos at the Ahavas Torah Center in Henderson, Nevada, and during Kabbalat Shabbat she felt the shul sway back and forth—from an earthquake in California! It was a surreal feeling, as it was also Parshat Korach. Ackerman will be a guest at the upcoming Shalom Task Force BBQ and ping pong tournament next week in the Five Towns.

By Glenn Ackerman