Arik Hai Vanunu, 48, from Ashdod, suffers from obesity and weighs more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds). In recent months, he began a weight-loss process and has been swimming almost daily at the Beit Lavron community center. So far, he has lost more than 30 kilograms (65 pounds).
When the summer season ended and the outdoor pool closed, he moved to the indoor pool, which has no stairs. He was unable to get out of the water using the lift chair attached to the pool crane because it is limited to 180 kilograms (400 pounds). After three lifeguards helped him out, one of the staff members told him, “The pool is not accessible to you, and we’ll have to cancel your membership.”
In a recording of a conversation between Vanunu and community center staff, the center's director is heard telling Vanunu: “I call the shots, and we’re done talking. You’re not entering the pool.”
Vanunu protested: “You can’t cancel my membership. There’s an order saying you’re not allowed to cancel it in any way. For two months I’ve been here, working on my body to lose weight.”
The director replied, “Do you understand Hebrew? You’re not entering the pool. Even if you call the police, you’re not entering. Period.”
Vanunu said he signed up several months ago to begin his weight-loss journey and had been swimming daily in the outdoor pool until it closed for the season. When he tried to use the indoor pool, he could not climb out with the ladders, and the lift chair was too weak for his weight.
“In the end, with three lifeguards and the chair, I managed to get out,” he said. “After that, the management told me my membership was being canceled. I’m depressed. I had a reason to wake up in the morning and do something with myself. Suddenly, they stopped me in the middle. Instead of sitting at home all day, I was at the pool, and that’s how I already lost more than 30 kilograms. This is discrimination. I even hold a disability card. They told me there’s no solution and that tomorrow my membership would be canceled.”
During another exchange, one of the staff members told him, “There’s a problem. We’ll need to cancel your membership.” Vanunu replied: “Why not just bring a stronger chair?” The worker answered: “I’m telling you, the manager said so. Right now, the pool is not accessible to you, and we’ll need to cancel your membership. You can’t go in. We’ll give you a refund. I don’t have many answers for you.”
Vanunu responded: “I’m disabled, and you’re preventing me from entering. That’s not right.” The staff member replied: “It’s not our fault. It’s a problem that the chair can’t handle your weight.”
He countered: “You need to make it accessible.” The worker answered: “It is accessible, up to a certain limit.”
Vanunu added: “You sold me a membership two months ago. You couldn’t think of this then? Just build aluminum stairs or change the lift. In the U.S., they have chairs that hold 600 kilos. It’s not logical that after two months of coming here, you cancel my membership because of my disability.”
He warned them about the personal impact: “I started a weight-loss process. You see me here every day. I came to do something with myself, and you’re canceling my daily routine.”
The Ashdod Municipal Company for Culture and Leisure, which operates the pool, said in response: “We consider every member a significant part of our community, and we work to provide an equal and respectful leisure experience for all residents. The pool has a lift chair that meets accessibility regulations, allowing entry and exit up to 180 kilograms, to assist those who cannot use the metal ladder. We are working with Arik to examine other pool options in the city at no additional cost, matching both facility hours and his personal schedule. His membership remains valid, including access to all activities. If anything said by an employee was understood as offensive, we regret that and will remind our staff of the importance of respectful communication.”
Yuval Wagner, founder and chair of Access Israel, an advocacy group for accessibility, said, “Since this man can still walk, we found a mobile stairs solution that can be placed in the pool to allow access. Meanwhile, the organization Toshavim in Ashdod arranged an alternative solution at another swimming pool. With a little sensitivity and goodwill, there is an accessible solution for every situation.”