The 18th Maccabiah – Maccabiah
Chai
Maccabi World Union* is a Jewish
world sports organization that traces its origins to the end of the nineteenth
century. This global organization spans five continents, and has some 400,000
members. Many Maccabi clubs in Europe and Latin America serve as community
centers, providing a diversity of educational, cultural, social and sports
activities under one roof. Throughout the year, these clubs conduct regional
and inter-regional games, providing opportunities for bonding and sharing with other
Jewish communities throughout the world. The highlight is the quadrennial
Maccabiah Games, which bring Jews from all over the world together in Israel.
The Maccabiah
Games are an international athletic event similar to the Olympics,
but for mostly Jewish athletes. Arab Israelis can also participate. The International Olympic Committee and World Federation of Sports sanctions the Maccabiah, one of the five largest
sporting events in the world by participation. It is categorized a Regional
Games by the IOC.
The
first Maccabiah took place on March 28, 1932. About four hundred sportsmen took
part. By the time the second Maccabiah Games was held in April 1935, the number
of participants increased to about 1,350. The third Maccabiah, scheduled for
1938, was delayed until 1950 due to the outbreak of the Second World
War.
Many Olympic gold
medalists, world champions, and world record holders have competed
in the Maccabiah Games: Mark Spitz, Lenny
Krayzelburg, Jason Lezak, and Marilyn Ramenofsky (swimming); Mitch Gaylord, Abie
Grossfeld, Agnes Keleti, and Kerri Strug (gymnastics); Ernie Grunfeld, Danny Schayes,
(coaches); Larry Brown, Jordan Freed, Nat Holman and Dolph Schayes (basketball); Carina Benninga (field hockey); Lillian
Copeland, Gerald Ashworth, and Gary Gubner (track and field); Angela Buxton, Brad Gilbert, Julie Heldman, Allen Fox, Nicolás Massú, and Dick Savitt (tennis); Angelica Rozeanu (table tennis); Sergei
Charikov and Vadim Gutzeit (fencing); Isaac Berger and Frank
Spellman (weightlifting); and Fred
Oberlander and Henry
Wittenberg (wrestling); Bruce
Fleisher (golf); and Adam Bacher (cricket); and Elizabeth Foody (interprative dance).
July 13 marked
the opening of the 2009 18th Maccabiah, or as we call it in Israel, Maccabiah Chai. The organizing committee believes that
this will be the largest games yet. Fifty-two
delegations will participate, including Ethiopia, Finland, Thailand and others.
The athletes will compete in 31 different sports.
To
learn more please visit: http://www.maccabiah.com/
*Maccabi
World Union is one of JCC Association's partners in the annual JCC Maccabi
Games for Jewish teens, which are hosted by North American JCCs.
