The Goal of His Life: “If I chose life, any child can overcome anything.”
“Shlomo Zuaritz, a 12th-grade student, is approaching the two-year anniversary of his leg amputation—but that hasn’t stopped him from playing for Israel’s Amputee National Team, taking his final exams, and serving as a mentor for teenagers, sharing his story in motivational lectures.
”Illness can destroy you. You can either break from it or find a way to rebuild your life.
Shlomo Zuaritz, a 12th-grade student at Amit High School in Ramla, is soon marking the one-year anniversary of his leg amputation, caused by an illness he suffered from as a child. However, neither the illness nor the amputation have stopped him from being a striker for Israel’s Amputee National Team, taking his final exams, or sharing his story as a mentor and speaker for other teenagers.
In fact, he says, “This is my real birthday.”
While hospitalized, teachers and classmates visited Shlomo Zuaritz, helping him continue studying for his final exams, which he took in the hospital with his teachers by his side.
“In two weeks, I will celebrate my real birthday,” he says. “I made a life-changing decision and was reborn. Before the amputation, I couldn’t wear regular shoes or pants. Afterward, for the first time, I went to buy shoes and jeans.”
“I always dreamed of becoming a football player but never imagined it would be possible. Immediately after the amputation, I started playing. We play with two crutches, without the prosthetic. There’s no league in Israel yet, but I made it onto the Israeli national amputee team.
Two weeks ago, I scored a hat-trick in six minutes against Albania in an important tournament in Belgium, which we won. When I returned to school, the entire school stood at the gate, cheering for me with balloons and banners.
Just this week, we returned from a tournament in Scotland, where we won a penalty shootout against Ireland, one of the best teams in the world.”
Zuaritz uses his personal transformation to help others, especially younger students at his school. Yizhar Afgan, the principal of Amit Ramla, encouraged him to turn his story into a motivational talk titled “How to Look at Life the Right Way.” He also invited him to join the school’s staff as a coach and mentor for students facing challenges.
“Illness can destroy you. You can either let it break you or find a way to build your life—it all depends on your perspective,” says Zuaritz. “In our team, we don’t cry about our amputations; we turn them into jokes and laughter. Dark humor is our way of coping, and it works.”
Principal Afgan explains that Shlomo is an inspiration to the entire school:
“Any student, teacher, or staff member who is struggling looks at him and simply cannot give up. We are lucky to have him here, supporting others. After one of his talks, a student who had been facing difficulties came up to me and said, ‘I realized that only I can decide how my life will look—it’s all in my hands.’”
Shlomo has big dreams for the future. While balancing his studies and football, he also gives motivational talks at schools that have heard his story. He plans to study law and become a lawyer, while also returning to his school in the future to continue mentoring students. “I feel that what I received from my teachers and principal, I must pass on. If I was able to overcome my injury and choose life, then any child can overcome anything.
When I sit with a student for a ‘motivation talk,’ I tell them—’If you truly believe in yourself, the sky is the limit.'”
