Young Jewish athletes from the Baltimore area recently played sports against international competitors at the 41st JCC Maccabi Games.
Teenage competitors arrived in the Israeli city of Haifa on July 6. The games kicked off on July 9 with a livestreamed opening ceremony.
They joined teenagers from all over the world, from 10 countries across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, to compete in several different sporting events. This year was also the first time that athletes from Morocco were able to participate in the games, as part of the Abraham Accords.
For many competitors, the Maccabi Games was their first time in Israel. In an official press release, the JCC Association of North America estimated that for 63% of participants, their participation marked their “first Jewish experience.”
This was the second time the games have been held in Israel, with the first being in 2011. They have largely been held in North America, including during another set of games in August that will be taking place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
“After many years, we are excited to host the JCC Maccabi Games in Israel for only the second time, and we hope they will become part of Maccabi World Union’s global movement plan,” said Roey Tshuva, the JCC Maccabi Games chairman.
The Israel games featured 22 teenagers from the Baltimore area participating across several different sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer and tennis. The Ft. Lauderdale games will see an additional 42 young athletes from the Baltimore area.
“Being in Israel just adds a whole other dynamic to the games,” said Paul Lurie, the JCC of Greater Baltimore’s chief operating officer. Lurie oversees the JCC’s Center for Sports and Wellness, having served as the organization’s sports and recreation director in the past.
“Traditionally, going to the games and being around 1,000 to 2,000 Jewish athletes is a really unique experience. … It’s an amazing opportunity for our teams to bond with kids who live Jewish lives from all over the world. Doing that in Israel adds another level of uniqueness.”
Rebecca Chinsky, senior director of aquatics and recreation at the JCC of Greater Baltimore, is leading the Baltimore delegation in both Maccabi games this year. The JCC of Greater Baltimore’s participation in the games is largely under Chinsky’s purview, as she has overseen the recruitment process and travel plans for the games since she started running the Maccabi program in 2015.
“I grew up going to Jewish day school and day camp, so I had a lot of Jewish exposure to different denominations and aspects of Jewish culture,” Chinsky said. “I think [the Maccabi Games] are unique in that they’re an Olympic-style competition, and they give Jewish kids a chance to shine as both athletes and as Jews.”
One of the Baltimore-area athletes to compete in the games was Kai Rozin, a Pikesville resident and high school sophomore who competed on an interdelegational soccer team. He first became involved with the games when a spokesperson for them visited his school. Rozin’s interest was piqued, and he soon tried out and made the team.
“It’s fun playing on a mixed-delegation team,” he said of his experience in the games. “It was a little difficult at first since no one knew each other. But after the first practice, everyone became friends.”
Rozin added that playing sports in Israel is a very different experience than playing in the United States — not only because of the diversity of opponents he played against in the games, but also because of its environment.
“The weather is a big part of it. It’s much hotter, and the sun is always showing,” he noted.
The JCC of Greater Baltimore’s biggest victory was in boys’ basketball, where their team placed third.
“All of our kids competed very well,” Chinsky said. “There was some tough competition going against international teams, especially nationally ranked players from Israel. But it was a great experience going up against international competition.”
Following the games’ conclusion, the athletes were able to embark on a two-week-long educational trip throughout Israel, where they saw its sights and learned more about its culture and history. The curriculum, which was planned in partnership with The iCenter, aimed to help these young athletes view their relationship with Israel through a sports-focused lens.
“We want every kid who goes to really, truly embrace their Jewish identity to feel proud to be Jewish,” Lurie said. “We want them to understand Jewish peoplehood in a global sense, not just a national sense. And we also hope that it’s a unique bonding experience within the team, so athletes will form relationships with people locally that will hopefully continue for a long time.”
