JCC Maccabi Games® Marks 25 Years
Anniversary Is Milestone for Largest Gathering of Jewish Teen
Athletes Worldwide
New York, NY – What do Olympic gold-medal
swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg, “Survivor: Africa”
champion Ethan Zohn, Doug Gottlieb of ESPN, marathon runner
Deena Kastor, and Jay Fiedler of Miami Dolphins fame have
in common?
Before they were in the public limelight,
all three honed their sports skills and strengthened their
Jewish identity as participants in the amazing community and
character-building experience known as the JCC Maccabi Games®.
What began as a pilot project in one city with 300 Jewish
youth has ballooned to an annual summer event that attracts
thousands of youngsters from North America and abroad to multiple
sites in the U.S. and Canada.
When almost five thousand coaches and Jewish
athletes from across the continent, Mexico, Argentina, Israel,
the U.K., and Venezuela convene at three sites in August to
take part in an Olympic-style athletic competition, they will
be celebrating 25 years of this same meaningful Jewish experience
– the mission of the JCC Maccabi Games as envisioned
by the founders.
Host communities in 2007 Houston, TX (August
5-10); Baltimore, MD (August 5-9); and Orange County, CA (August
12-17) can take particular pride in serving as the venues
for this special year. Youngsters try out for teams and register
for the Games through their local Jewish Community Centers.
The so-called Olympics for Jewish teens gives participants
the chance to compete in one or more of 14 team and individual
sports.
Since they were established in 1982, the Games
have offered a life-changing experience, not just to the athletes
themselves, but also to their parents and coaches and the
legions of volunteers in host communities who work hard all
year to plan a busy week of events on the field and off. In
every team and individual contest, Games participants are
encouraged to follow the “Rachmanus Rule,” a credo
that dictates fair play, based on the Jewish values of mercy
and compassion. Teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect for opponents
are prized over winning at any cost.
Supplementing the team and individual sports competitions,
throughout the week there are fun and engaging social programs
that promote friendships, community service projects that
instill the Jewish values of tikkun olam (repairing the world)
and tzedakah (social justice) and informal educational instruction
that fosters a personal connection to the state of Israel.
Over the years, participants have spoken of making new friends
and memories to last a lifetime, motivating many to return
to the Games year after year, even volunteering as delegation
heads and coaches once they are too old to compete.
As part of the goal to raise teens’
awareness of and connection to Israel, each year, the Games’
Opening Ceremonies include a moving tribute to the 11 Israeli
athletes killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympics
in Munich, Germany. For the past several years, the participation
of Anouk Spitzer, the now-grown daughter of Andre Spitzer,
one of the murdered Munich 11, has made this event an even
more vivid memorial to Israel’s past struggles and inspiring
touchstone for the state’s future.
The Games also foster community involvement and positive Jewish
identity. For example, local Jewish families provide home
hospitality to visiting athletes, a vital component in reinforcing
the concept of Jewish peoplehood and a living reminder of
the importance in Jewish tradition of “welcoming the
stranger.”
Another key aspect of communal support is
the volunteer social service program, “Days of Caring
and Sharing,” that has become a staple of the Game schedule.
With support from Presenting Continental Sponsor, The Coca-Cola
Company®, this initiative brings athletes together with
local social service agencies for day-long social action projects.
Past Days of Caring and Sharing activities have included building
homes for the poor, holding carnivals for handicapped children,
cleaning parks, and packaging food for distribution at local
soup kitchens.
Hang-Time, another innovation to incorporate Israel into the
JCC Maccabi Games experience, began in 2001. In an area at
each Games site designated the K'Far Maccabi, Maccabi Village,
Israeli shlichim (delegates or emissaries) from the Maccabi
Tzair Youth Movement lead activities that teach about Israel,
its people, culture and topography. From trivia games to creative
Jewish arts projects to taking a “tour” of Israel
on an enormous map, athletes and coaches enjoy intellectual
and cultural experiences in a fun, relaxed way.
Interacting with international delegations, including those
from Israel, has also worked to build a sense of k’lal
Israel, the unity of the Jewish community worldwide. A dozen
Israeli sister cities send athletes to participate alongside
their American counterparts. Music, signs in Hebrew, kosher
food and more all contribute to the strong Jewish aura of
the JCC Maccabi Games.
Securing Our Jewish Future
Since its inception, about 120,000 teens have
benefited from the JCC Maccabi Games, whose influence extends
far beyond the few weeks of summer competition. Inspired by
their participation, many JCCs have developed year-round cultural
and athletic programming that has provided the foundation
for engaging Jewish teens in commitment to Jewish life and
communal leadership – helping to secure a strong future
for the Jewish community.
For complete information, including a history
of the Games, details from this year’s host communities
and testimonials from past athletes, coaches and parents,
log onto: www.jccmaccabigames.org.
Reporters/Editors: For photographs and
sources for feature stories, call JCC Association Communications
Manager Miriam Rinn at (212) 786-5092 or e-mail miriam@jcca.org.
###
JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
520 8th Ave., NY, NY 10018
212-786-5092
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
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