Maccabi Games

From Yenra

The Maccabi movement originally began in Israel in 1895 and was introduced to the U.S. in 1982 with 300 participating athletes. Today, the Maccabi Games involve more than 6,000 Jewish teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16 competing in summer games held in multiple sites in North America and carries on a proud tradition of athletic competition. Participants have an opportunity to compete in one of 14 sports and no matter which team wins, all participants in the games are winners just for playing in such an important global event. More than 100,000 teens have benefited from the JCC Maccabi Games since 1982. The energy and excitement make it a unique and unforgettable experience for every participant, from athletes to volunteers, from coaches to host families.

Beverly Hills residents and soccer players Ally Maize and teammate, Alexa Block, were selected for the girls soccer teams to represent the city of Los Angeles in the 2008 Maccabi Games, part of the world's largest annual summer sporting competition for Jewish youth. Team L.A. celebrated silver and bronze medal wins at the 26th annual Maccabi Games held in Detroit, Michigan from August 17-22. Maize and Block are among 4,000 international youth athletes participating in the week-long sporting event with teen athletes from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Mexico and Venezuela.

The 2008 Maccabi Games opening ceremony included an inspirational speech by retired American swimmer Mark Spitz, best known for winning seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. His record achievement was surpassed this year when Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the 2008 Olympics. As an exceptionally talented swimmer, Spitz won nine Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze between 1968 and 1972. In addition to Spitz, past Maccabi Games competitions have featured many world class Jewish athletes, including Mitch Gaylord (gymnastics), Lenny Krayzelburg (swimming), Ernie Grunfeld and Danny Schayes (basketball), and Brad Gilbert and Dick Savitt (tennis).