JCC Competes at Maccabi Games

By Jason Selss

The JCC Maccabi Games are a weeklong multisport event that brings together more than 6,000 Jewish teens ages 13-16, 1,000 coaches, 4,000 local volunteers and 2,500 host families. 2001 host communities included Aug. 5-10 in Atlanta, GA and Sarasota, FL; Aug. 12-17 in Miami, FL; and Aug. 19-24 in Philadelphia, PA and Jersey Shore, NJ. The Maccabi Games is the largest Olympic-style event for Jewish teenagers in the world.

Each year participation increases for the JCC Maccabi Games, which started in 1982 when a partnership was formed between the Maccabi World Union in Israel, Maccabi USA and Maccabi Canada. The inaugural games were held in Memphis, TN and had 300 participants from 10 different cities. Originally, the Games were planned to be held every other year in a different city, but because of the continuous growth of participants, it became an annual event starting in 1996.

The Maccabi Games mission is to "provide the structure for Jewish youth to participate in athletic, Jewish cultural, educational and social activities and to provide an appropriate supportive environment for Jewish youth to associate in an atmosphere of fun, sportsmanship, democracy and peace" while promoting and encouraging their health and physical fitness, and participation in recreational and athletic activities.

From Aug. 19 through 24, the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in East Hills sent their finest young athletes to participate in the 19th annual Maccabi Games, held in Philadelphia. The JCC sent a girls and boys basketball team, girls and boys soccer team, and a boys golf team, 60 athletes in total. All the young athletes participated with strong spirit and camaraderie, competing and socializing with counterparts from all over the world, including Israel, Great Britain, Australia, Venezuela, Poland, Argentina, Mexico and Canada.

Each participating player paid a registration fee, which covered the cost of transportation, uniforms and coaches' costs. When the JCC players arrived in Philadelphia, they each stayed with a host family, which treated every athlete as one of their own. The games were played during the mornings and afternoons and during the evenings there were scheduled activities for the teens such as a visit to the Philadelphia Zoo and closing ceremonies at the Franklin Institute. After competing, each athlete traded pins, uniforms, T-shirts, and other memorabilia with other teams' players and brought them home with them as souvenirs.

In continuing the spirit of Tikun Olam (Repairing the World) and Tzedakah, Maccabi athletes took part in a "Day of Caring and Sharing," which is a day on which the athletes volunteer to do community service in the community where the games are held. The community service allows the athletes to increase their understanding of Jewish responsibility toward self, family and community. Activities include feeding the homeless, visiting children's hospitals, cleaning inner city athletic fields and working with Special Olympic athletes.

The Sid Jacobson JCC girls basketball team, coached by Dave Stein and Jon Cohen brought home the gold medal for the third year in a row and a record third consecutive year that the team went undefeated. The team included Roslyn residents Erin Finestone, Perri Nemiroff, and Lauren Ball. The girls soccer team, coached by Joni Cohen, JCC associate director and Steve Nemiroff, JCC board member, brought home a silver medal. Ashley Weinstein of Roslyn Heights was on that squad. The boys soccer team included Scott Sohn of East Hills, Jonathan Pryor of Roslyn, and David Leon of Williston Park.

Individual players on the JCC golf team, coached by Michele Abrams, JCC assistant sports and fitness director, brought home an assortment of medals. David Held of Roslyn won two silver medals and a bronze medal, Daniel Frankel of Great Neck won a gold and two silver medals, Brian Rand of Roslyn Estates won a bronze medal, Jared Marcus of Melville won two silver medals, Matthew Azus also of Melville won a silver and bronze medal and Andrew Samuels of Dix Hills won two silver medals. Abrams also took home a team silver medal for the second most team medals won by all the competing golf teams. Harris Novick of Roslyn Harbor also played on the golf squad.

In addition the JCC had five athletes join them from their sister community center, Kiryat Yovel in Jerusalem, Israel. Matti Cohen and Mikhail Gatte played with the JCC boys basketball team, Yaara Mizrahy competed in track, Yossi Ofir played with the JCC boys soccer team and Ben Russo competed in table tennis. Each athlete came to the United States a week before the team left for Philadelphia. They stayed with two volunteer host families whose children were participating in the Maccabi Games.

All the athletes returned to Long Island with souvenirs, new friendships and most importantly memories of their exciting week. The JCC has put in a bid for next year's Maccabi Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and a bid to send a swim team to Baltimore, MD.