Athletes Gather in Detroit for JCC Maccabi Games
Team Atlanta joined representatives from across the globe for the annual competition.
Last week, while dozens of world-class Jewish athletes were competing in the Paris Summer Olympics, hundreds of Jewish teens convened in Detroit for the JCC Maccabi Games, some of whom may be one-day Olympians themselves — perhaps even as early as the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
From July 28 to Aug. 2, Detroit, a city with a vibrant Jewish community, hosted the JCC Maccabi Games, otherwise known as the largest Jewish youth sporting event in the world, with over 1,200 athletes, between the ages of 12 and 16, competing in an array of team sports (boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, 3v3 boys basketball, boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball and ice hockey) and individual ones (boys and girls dance, golf, swimming, tennis, and table tennis). Across the country, JCCs in different regions have a specified number of athletes allotted to them for the Maccabi Games and they decide which teams they want to send.
This year’s edition marked the seventh time that the Motor City held the Maccabi Games, the most of any host city in the Games’ 42-year history.
“We are most proud of our community coming together to host the Games for the seventh time,” shared Sarah Allyn, Chief Operating Officer of JCC of Metropolitan Detroit, when speaking to the Atlanta Jewish Times last week.
“Hosting would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, chairs, volunteers, host families, and JCC staff. The 2024 Games were years in the making and the success is truly shared with our entire Detroit Jewish community.”
The 2024 Maccabi Games also marked one of the most nationally and globally diverse displays of youth athletics in its history as there were 48 delegations on hand, spanning not only many regions of the United States but also countries such as Israel, Ukraine, Hungary, Mexico, and Canada. From a local perspective, Team Atlanta, whose delegation head consisted of James Harrison, Jack Vangrofsky, Todd Starr, Jessica Mencher, and Daniel Pomerantz, represented one of the largest contingents of athletes with nearly 100 local teens partaking in the events.
Following last year’s Maccabi Games, held in early August in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., at the Posnack Jewish Community Center, the 2024 Games commenced with a moving opening ceremony, held at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit that, according to Allyn, was “spectacular.” With over 5,000 spectators in attendance, which included the coaches along with their friends and relatives, chaperones, host families, and volunteers, the procession of athletes from North America, Europe, and the Middle East paraded through the home of Detroit’s two pro indoor sports teams (Pistons and Red Wings) in their formal introductions.
Certainly, the pomp and circumstance of this year’s opening ceremony could rival that of any NBA or NHL game, even as some of it took on a somber tone. Michael Harpaz, a Detroit native and Israeli pop star, served as the master of ceremonies for an event that showcased, among many moving performances, a musical set by Shufuni, a folk group of young Israelis who were directly impacted by the attacks on Oct. 7. Also, per tradition, as part of the opening ceremonies, there was a remembrance of the 11 Israeli athletes who were taken hostage and later murdered by the Palestinian group Black September in Munich during the 1972 Summer Olympics.
As per its tradition stretching back to the inaugural event in 1982, once the competition actually began in earnest, this year’s Maccabi Games facilitated opportunities for participants to engage in Jewish educational seminars and community service projects — a cornerstone of the festivities.
“There is nothing like the energy of the Games — athletes from around the world have as much enthusiasm for building community as they have spirit for the competition,” added Allyn.
This week is essentially Part II of the Olympic-style competition as the JCC Maccabi Games continue at the brand-new Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center in Houston, Texas. From Aug. 4-9, 45 delegations of Jewish teen athletes hailing from Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Great Britain, Israel, Mexico, Ukraine and the U.S. and thousands of volunteers are immersing themselves in the second round of events while JCC Maccabi Access, a program designed for young athletes (ages 12-22) with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in unified and specialized activities, will run concurrently. (JCC Maccabi Access has one location each year and in 2024, it happens to be Houston.)
There is nothing like the energy of the Games — athletes from around the world have as much enthusiasm for building community as they have spirit for the competition.
While Houston traditionally hosts every four years, this summer is Space City’s first time serving as the host city in 11 years, as the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey prevented the Games from returning sooner.
For any version of the Maccabi Games – regardless of the locale — the requisite manpower to ensure the weeklong series of events runs like a well-oiled machine is immense.
“Hosting the Games is a massive undertaking that requires years of planning,” reasoned Allyn. “We are lucky to have staff and volunteers who have been involved in past Games. They worked tirelessly to ensure that everything — from housing to athletics to evening events — ran smoothly.”
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