Maccabi Mega-Events

The Maccabiah in Israel

This event, held every four years, is Israel’s largest tourism event. The Maccabiah attracts teams and individual competitors from over 60 countries, bringing with them thousands of supporters. For many athletes and fans, the Maccabiah is their first visit to Israel. More information on the Maccabiah can be found here.

Maccabi Pan-American Games

The Maccabi Pan-American Games take place in Latin America every four years. The Maccabi Confederation’s search committee chooses a venue for the games, which attract the local community, thousands of volunteers and competitors from across Latin America.

The week-long event is the largest Jewish gathering in Latin America, attracting competitors and spectators from across the continent as well as guest delegations from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Israel.

In addition to sports competitions, the Games feature cultural events, with a special emphasis on dance performances. The Games take place with the full cooperation of local authorities, with local dignitaries leading the opening ceremonies.

European Maccabi Games

The European Maccabi Games are a week-long event which takes place every four years in a different European city. The Games often involve the entire local Jewish community, engaging thousands of volunteers and attracting participants from across Europe, with delegations attending from as far away as Russia and guest delegations flying in from the United States, Canada, Australia and Israel.

The European Maccabi Games take place with the full cooperation of local authorities and local dignitaries are often asked to take part in the opening ceremonies. Venues for the Games are selected by the European Maccabi Confederation.

JCC Maccabi Games

The JCC Maccabi Games are an annual event hosted by Jewish Community Centers across North America for young adults aged 14 to 16.

JCCs wishing to host these regional Games apply to the Jewish Community Center Association two to three years in advance, and the Association then picks five JCCs to host the Games each year. The Games take place throughout the month of August, in cities across the United States and Canada, with many JCCs hosting Games at the same time.

Each JCC hosts teams from the cities in its own region, with guest delegations arriving from Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Great Britain, Australia, Poland and Israel. These guests often stay at local Jewish families who volunteer to open their homes for the Games.

In addition to the sports competitions, the JCC Maccabi Games also include cultural and community service components and place a special emphasis on Israel-related activities.

Australian Maccabi Games

Every two years, MWU hosts the Australian Maccabi Games. These week-long Games are the largest Jewish gatherings on the continent of Australia, attracting not only local delegations and delegations from New Zealand – which also hosts the Games - but guests from the United States, Israel, Great Britain and South Africa as well.

The Australian Maccabi Games include separate Junior and Senior competitions.

Maccabi Great Britain Youth Games

In 2000, Maccabi in Great Britain began hosting the Maccabi Great Britain Youth Games as a means of engaging younger children in Jewish sports activities. The Games are now a bi-annual tradition, attracting delegates from Australia, Israel and many European countries.

Maccabi is currently seeking European Union funding in order to increase the scope of the Games to include participants from Maccabi centers across Europe.