The Pierre Gildesgame Maccabi Sports Museum is a unique facility dedicated to the story of organized Jewish sports in the modern era, and the development of sports in Israel. Established in 1982 at Kfar Maccabiah, the museum boasts numerous sports artifacts and memorabilia as well, as many multi-media exhibits on the history of Jewish athletic achievements.
Named for the leader of the post-World War II revival of the Maccabiah and Maccabi in Europe, the museum is staffed by a volunteer corps of knowledgeable guides and educators and is a frequent stop on school field-trips.
The museum is also home to the Yekutieli Archive, named for Joseph Yekutieli, the founder of Maccabi. The archive contains a large, continually expanding collection of documents, photographs, films, and digital resources relating to Jews and sports. The archive also stores flags, uniforms, medals, trophies, badges and other memorabilia from the earliest Maccabi Clubs in existence before the 1st World War, including HaKoah Vienna, Bar Kochva Berlin, HaGibbor Prague, Maccabi Warsaw, Maccabi Bulgaria and Maccabi Syria & Lebanon. Archive materials date back to the beginning of the 20th century and are accessible to academics, journalists, filmmakers and others seeking its wealth of information concerning sports and Jewish life. The archive facility also includes a reading room with books and other publications relating to Jews and sports.
Starting from the 1939 shift of the Maccabi World Union headquarters from London to Tel Aviv, Maccabi archival materials were gathered; but the effort was not well organized. The 14th Maccabi World Congress (1961) took the decision to establish the Maccabi Museum and Archive; during the 7th Maccabia Games (1965) the corner stone was laid for the museum in Kfar Maccabiah, but it was only on July 7th 1974, that the Museum and Archive were officially opened.
The vast majority of the archive and museum’s collection was donated by Maccabi World Union members, an apt testimony to the voluntary nature of the movement, which is, as a whole, managed by a workforce comprised of 85% volunteers.
In addition to its static exhibits, the museum hosts a number of symposia and ceremonies throughout the year.
