JCC Maccabi Games unite nearly 3,000 Jewish teens
More than 12,000 people, including about 3,000 Jewish teen athletes as well as coaches, families, spectators, volunteers, and community leaders, gathered last month in Kansas City and Toronto for the 44th annual JCC Maccabi Games. Delegations from New Jersey included the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, the JCC of Central NJ in Scotch Plains, and the JCC Jersey Shore in Ocean Township.
The Games, the signature program of the Center for Jewish Peoplehood at JCC Association of North America, united participants from 85 Jewish communities across 12 countries in a week-long celebration of athletic competition, Jewish identity, leadership development, service, and global Jewish peoplehood.
Hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and the Prosserman JCC and Schwartz/Reisman Centre in Toronto, this year’s games welcomed delegations from the United States, Canada, Israel, Argentina, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Mexico, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Athletes included three swimmers from Caracas, marking Venezuela’s first participation in JCC Maccabi since 2012. One hundred fifty athletes and coaches from Israel — the largest Israeli contingent in JCC Maccabi history — were at the Games, including 30 teens from northern border communities and the Gaza Envelope.
This year’s JCC Maccabi Games united teen athletes in competition, community, friendship, and Jewish pride. The delegations showed dedication, sportsmanship, and team spirit throughout the games, competing alongside Jewish teens from communities across the world.
JCC Maccabi strengthened partnerships with organizations including RootOne, Birthright Israel, Hillel International, Chabad on Campus, Maccabi World Union, and others. Through JCC Cares, athletes also participated in service projects with Repair the World, putting Jewish values into action while giving back to their host communities.
At the end of the games, the JCC Association announced that Shalom Austin and the Dell Jewish Community Center in Austin, Texas, were the first confirmed hosts for the 2027 JCC Maccabi Games.