Written by Logan Schiciano
Adva Amir has never let setbacks stop her from following her dreams.
The Israel native, who now calls Honolulu, Hawaii home, said she always wanted to serve her country as a military pilot. While she ended up spending her time in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) doing something completely different, she never gave up on her goal, and ultimately left everything behind to pursue it.
“I decided to come to the U.S. and had no [flying] experience before. Nobody in my family [had ever been a pilot],” Amir said. “I just decided one day that this is what I’m going to do, and it wasn’t an easy decision.”
After thousands of hours training in the skies, Amir is now criss-crossing the globe as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines.
But her no-quit mentality isn’t only apparent in her aviation career. It’s also shining through in a completely separate space: surfing – the sport she will compete in at the Maccabiah in Israel this summer.
Amir took up the sport when she moved to Hawaii last year and it quickly became much more than just a hobby.
“I absolutely fell in love with surfing, because you have all the right conditions here,” Amir said. “It’s always sunny. It’s always a good atmosphere with good waves all around. If you want to find waves, you’ll find them here on the island.”
Just like at the start of her flying career, Amir said she faced her fair share of doubt, from within and from those around her.
“I took up surfing because I wanted to progress. I never thought I would compete,” she said. “It’s a long journey to start at a late age like myself. I started around 30, and it’s tough. There is a lot of fear and frustration.”
But she said those hard moments have made her better at the sport she’s gearing up to compete in for the very first time.
“It doesn’t matter how many years you surf. There’s so much to learn about the ocean, about the waves, about the reef, about the technique. Every day is different,” Amir said, crediting her coach, Sagi Asiskovich, for helping her each step of the way.
When Amir heads to Israel to compete this summer, she said she will be the only surfer representing the American delegation.
But she won’t be surfing without support. Amir said most of her family still lives in Tel Aviv and will be at the beach to cheer her on in her quest to catch waves.
Given that it’s her inaugural competition, Amir said she just wants to do her best and have fun. And though she’s returned to Israel several times since the October 7th attacks, she said this visit, alongside Jewish athletes from all around the world, will be different.
“I think it will be very empowering for a lot of people, to show how strong the Jewish nation is,” Amir said. “When we come together, there’s nothing that can stop us.”
From first-timer, to competitor in just over a year, Amir said she wants her story to show people that they can do anything with the right mindset.
“You can change your measurement for fear once you push yourself and deal with it too,” she said. “There will be challenges, there will be struggles, but if you’re passionate enough, you can achieve anything you want.”
Logan Schiciano is a senior at Northwestern University studying journalism and political science. He has covered the 2023 Pan American Maccabi Games and 2021 Maccabiah in Israel. You can follow him on X (@loganschiciano) and Instagram (@logan.schiciano).