Every four years, Maccabi World Union (MWU) hosts the Maccabiah (the “Jewish Olympics”) in Israel. The Maccabiah is the world’s largest Jewish event and Israel’s biggest regular tourist event, with nearly 9,000 Jewish and Israeli athletes competing and over 20,000 tourists from nearly 70 countries taking part in the festivities. Nearly 90% of those who participate will be visiting Israel for the first time. For many, it will be their first Jewish experience.
The scale of this event is difficult to over-emphasize, since the Maccabiah is tied with the World University Games for the position of second-largest sporting event in the world, trumped only by the international Olympics.
In addition to the games themselves, the Maccabiah brings thousands of Jews into contact with their identity, culture, history, heritage and traditions as they visit Israel and bond with other Jews during the 12-day event. Through the Maccabiah experience, groups of participants from around the world enjoy opportunities to visit their people’s homeland and its historic sites.
This year marks the 18th Maccabiah, a milestone charged with celebrating Jewish fellowship through an international-quality sports event in the land of Israel. In celebration of the ingathering of Zionist athletes from around the world, the 18th Maccabiah is comprised of numerous athletic events, including artistic gymnastics, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, cricket, tennis, track and field and wrestling. The 18th Maccabiah will also feature a Junior Maccabiah for 3,000 athletes aged 15 to 18, and 2,000 athletes competing in the Maccabiah para-Olympics, comprised of some 35 sports. A Special Olympics component will also take place under the mantle of the 18th Maccabiah.
By Maccabi World Union on Thursday, October 1st, 2009
For the UK Maccabi team, this year’s team met with Noam Shalit, father of captive soldier Gilad Shalit. The evening consisted of a question and answer session in which Mr. Shalit spoke about his son’s captivity and urged participants to write to the International Red Cross, asking them to work harder to convince Hamas, who is holding Shalit captive in the Gaza Strip, to grant them visitation rights.
Categories: Featured, Homepage_gallery, Israel, Maccabiah, Uncategorized
By Maccabi World Union on Thursday, September 10th, 2009
Ever wonder about the secret engine powering Maccabi World Union allowing it to time and again organize and run successful sporting events in Israel and the world over? Maccabi’s secret is its dedicated volunteers who donate their time and energies to helping Maccbi events - specifically this year’s 18th Maccabiah - maintain their successful reputation.
The [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
The Maccabiah athletes have now won their medals, countries have celebrated, countries have cried, and now athletes and audiences alike are making their way home. But the athletes aren’t the only ones returning with awards and glory. 11 Maccabi World Union (MWU) activists from around the world are also basking in the honor bestowed upon [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Used to training for sports activities, a number of Maccabi athletes began training of a different sort this summer - taking part in an abridged version of gadna, a program which prepares Israeli youth for their mandatory military service.
While in Israel to take part in the Maccabiah, a number of young Maccabi athletes traveled to [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
The Maccabiah athletes have now won their medals, countries have celebrated, countries have cried, and now athletes and audiences alike are making their way home. But the athletes aren’t the only ones returning with awards and glory. 11 Maccabi World Union (MWU) activists from around the world are also basking in the honor bestowed upon [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
In keeping with the belief that kol yisrael areivim ze l’ze - all Jews are responsible one for the other - Maccabi World Union organized a trip for Maccabiah delegation heads to the beleaguered city of Sderot in southern Israel. Years of terror attacks, in the form of unceasing rockets barrages from neighboring Gaza, have [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
The Maccabiah athletes have now won their medals, countries have celebrated, countries have cried, and now athletes and audiences alike are home. But the athletes aren’t the only ones returning with awards and glory. 11 Maccabi World Union (MWU) activists from around the world are also basking in the honor bestowed upon them by MWU [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah, Uncategorized
By Maccabi World Union on Monday, July 27th, 2009
Here at Maccabi.org, we’ll be continuing to check out the many faces and groups which helped to make the 18th Maccabiah such an amazing congress of Zionist athletes, and their supporters, from around the world. We’ll also be looking into some of the most compelling figures who have helped shape the Maccabi World Union into [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
The second-to-last day of 2009 international competition, Wednesday’s Maccabiah games yielded many medals. The Israeli men’s and women’s volleyball teams collectively swept the finals at Kfar Saba’s Bar-Lev arena, the men defeating the United States and the women conquering Brazil.
Meanwhile, at Ra’anana’s Metrowest Sports Hall, the men’s basketball final saw the Americans stealing Gold from [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
By Maccabi World Union on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Last night’s nail biting basketball final… Argentina bests Great Britian in the football final… another fun round of Battle of the Maccabees (South American edition)… results recap… Olympic gold medalist Jason Lezak recaps his Maccabiah experience… five more facts you didn’t know about the Maccabiah… Maccabiah legend Willie Simms… Ruby crashes the Maccabiah farewell party… [...]
Categories: Featured, Maccabiah
