Team Atlanta Dominates at JCC Maccabi Games

The JCC Maccabi Games, the world’s largest Jewish youth sporting event that galvanizes hundreds of Jewish amateur athletes across multiple continents, has been a storied midsummer tradition since 1982. However, this year’s edition of the five-day Olympic-style competition — which also coincides with the JCC Maccabi Access program for Jewish athletes (ages 12-22) with intellectual and developmental disabilities — marked quite possibly the most triumphant run in Atlanta’s history, as Team Atlanta, comprised of 71 athletes across eight teams, medaled in nearly every sport with the boys’ soccer team and the 15U and 17U baseball teams earning gold.

Additionally, the 17U boys’ basketball and girls’ volleyball teams both went on impressive runs into the medal rounds, with basketball reaching the playoffs before ultimately getting eliminated. Atlanta’s competitors in individual sports enjoyed similar success as Ilan Weintraub medaled in 11 out of 12 swimming events while three out of the delegation’s four tennis players medaled.

However, the final results — as impressive as they were — didn’t tell the whole story.

JCC Maccabi 2025 splashed down in two locations this summer: Tucson, Ariz. (July 27 to Aug. 1) and Pittsburgh (Aug. 3-8). Atlanta only competed at the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games at the Tucson JCC, which last hosted the Games in 2000. The Tucson JCC was celebrating its 70th anniversary, including 36 years on its current campus, but the more pressing narrative was that of the dangerous extreme heat engulfing the playing fields. Indeed, Tucson’s sweltering environment presented imposing challenges for the 1,200 Jewish teen athletes participating in rigorous games of baseball, basketball, flag football, soccer, and tennis among other sports.

“With temperatures reaching 100°F by 10 a.m. daily, the extreme heat was a factor, but Tucson organizers did a great job scheduling outdoor events in the morning,” shared Jammie Harrison, Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) athletics director, when speaking to the Atlanta Jewish Times last week. “Atlanta’s coaches and staff were vigilant about hydration and sun protection to keep athletes safe and strong throughout the week.”

One of those outdoor morning events was, in fact, boys’ soccer, in which Team Atlanta excelled. The Atlanta boys’ soccer squad, coached by longtime JCC member Glenn Frank and led in part by his son, Brandon, steamrolled through the competition to finish the week undefeated. In an exhilarating championship match, Atlanta trailed 1–0 before tying the game and then netting the go-ahead goal in the final minute, courtesy of Davis Schmitz. “The boys’ teamwork and determination were evident all week long, but it was their never-quit mindset in the final match that made this gold medal especially meaningful,” commented Harrison.

Over on the diamond, Atlanta’s up-and-coming baseball players also beautifully represented the city’s Jewish community. The 15U baseball team, managed by coaches Josh Alterman and Joshua Greenspon, dominated the JCC Maccabi Games from the first pitch. The only real speed bump came in the championship game, when Atlanta was down 2-1 before Ryan Blatt socked a three-run triple to give the locals a 4-2 lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish. Atlanta’s 17U baseball team, skippered by David Frankel and Steve Strauss, breezed through the tournament, securing gold with an 11-1 championship game victory in which Isaac Mastin was the winning pitcher. For good measure, the 17U baseball team also celebrated two birthdays during its championship run, with Max Blondheim and Liam Dardik having an extra special week.

Gold medals aside, the week in Tucson was an unforgettable one for Atlanta’s delegation thanks to a spectacular closing ceremony held at the Pima Air & Space Museum where participants enjoyed historic aircraft exhibits while reconnecting with scores of other Jewish athletes with whom they had engaged in social activities, seminars conducted by Israeli Olympic athletes, and community service projects throughout the week. There had been a particularly strong emphasis on JCC Maccabi competitors participating in a volunteer project, jointly spearheaded by JCC Cares and the Tucson non-profit organization Ben’s Bells, to craft wind chimes in support of community kindness initiatives.

The ceremony concluded with the symbolic passing of the Maccabi torch to next year’s host cities, Toronto and Kansas City. The Prosserman JCC and Schwartz/Reisman Centre will be the venues in Toronto as the city hosts the Games for the first time since its inaugural run in 1986 while The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City last hosted the event in summer 1997.

Similar to rosters for next year’s JCC Maccabi Games, those for the 2026 Maccabiah Games in Israel are months away from being finalized, but a sizable contingent of Atlanta athletes is expected to represent the city at the Jewish Olympic Games next summer — certainly not surprising, judging by the extraordinary success of this year’s JCC Maccabi representation.

“Nearly every team competed in a medal round, an unprecedented accomplishment for our delegation,” noted Harrison. “This year’s JCC Maccabi Games were one of the most successful in Atlanta’s history.”