JCC Maccabi Games revival picks up steam with Fort Lauderdale and Israel hosting in summer 2023.
After a two-year hiatus, normalcy is slowing returning to the JCC Maccabi Games.
The world’s largest Jewish youth sports event resumed this past summer in its 40th year on a smaller scale in San Diego, California, following back-to-back COVID-19 pandemic cancellations.
There will be two Maccabi Games sites in the summer of 2023: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Israel. The last time there were two Maccabi Games sites was 2019, when Detroit hosted along with Atlanta.
Detroit teens will be among the expected 1,800 athletes in Fort Lauderdale and more than 1,000 athletes in Israel. There were 1,600 athletes from 57 delegations from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bulgaria and Israel in San Diego.
Teens ages 13-17 are eligible to participate in the Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style Jewish experience that is organized and conducted by the JCC Association of North America.
In addition to sports competitions, there are opening and closing ceremonies, community service opportunities, and social and cultural events.
Karen Gordon, who is heading into her 37th year of involvement with the Maccabi Games, including being a Detroit delegation head since 1999, said next summer’s Maccabi Games will have a similar look to this past summer’s Maccabi Games.
“But it appears the COVID rules will be a lot less restrictive,” she said.
For example, she said, instead of COVID-19 vaccinations being required for participants and host families, vaccinations will be strongly recommended. And those traveling to the Maccabi Games will not need to have two negative COVID-19 tests. Of course, that could change.
The all-important annual meeting for prospective Detroit Maccabi athletes and their families will be at 4 p.m. Jan. 22 at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit in West Bloomfield.
While attendance at the meeting isn’t mandatory, “all the information everyone will need will be presented there,” Gordon said.
Detroit had a small delegation in San Diego — 18 athletes, chaperones Sloan Lemberg and Donna Sklar and Gordon — most likely because of COVID concerns and the Maccabi Games being off the radar in 2020 and 2021.
There weren’t enough Detroit athletes to form a team in any sport, so Detroit athletes in team sports were part of multi-delegation teams.
For example, Aiden Ben-Ezra, Brennan Gesund, Braylon Juszak and Lucas Hutten represented Detroit on a hockey team that also included players from St. Louis, Palisades, New Jersey, and Westchester, New York.
The team played a squad made up of players from Chicago, Houston, Montreal and Springfield, Massachusetts, in the bronze medal game and lost in a wild 14-round shootout in which only one goal was scored.
The 18 Detroit Maccabi athletes was a far cry from past years, when Detroit had as many as 100+ athletes participate in the Maccabi Games.
Gordon said there is increased interest in Detroit for the 2023 Maccabi Games.
If Detroit exceeds its athlete allotment for Fort Lauderdale, Gordon said, the Israel trip will be an option for those left out with financial help available thanks to the generosity of investors.
The Maccabi Games in Israel, conducted by the JCC of North America and Maccabi World Union, will be July 5-25.
Athletes ages 14-17 (by July 31) from around the world will compete in baseball, basketball, hockey, girls volleyball, boys and girls flag football, soccer, tennis, swimming and dance.
There also will be a tour of culturally, religiously and historically significant sites, opportunities to meet Israeli coaches and professional athletes, and volunteer service projects with Israeli not-for-profit and social justice organizations.
Next up on the Maccabi Games schedule will be Fort Lauderdale from Aug. 6-11, hosted by the David Posnack JCC.
Athletes ages 13-17 (by July 31) from North and South America, Israel and Europe are expected to participate. An Access program for special needs athletes will be held.
Baseball, basketball, hockey, girls volleyball, flag football, boys lacrosse, soccer, table tennis, tennis, star reporter, swimming and dance are offered.
Opening and closing ceremonies, a tribute to the Munich 11, home hospitality with local Jewish host families, JCC Cares community service projects, hang time with Israeli schlichim (athletes and staff) and evening social events also are on the Fort Lauderdale agenda.
Prospective Detroit Maccabi athletes and their families who want more information should go to maccabidetroit.com. The website includes answers to frequently asked questions.
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