The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish and Israeli
multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
hel
quadrenniallyin
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
[Nauright, p. 364.] The Maccabiah Games are open to
Jewish athletes from around the world, and to all
Israeli citizens regardless of their religion. It is the third-largest sporting event in the world by number of competitors, with 10,000 athletes competing (after the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
).
["Levine inducted into Jewish sports hall as Maccabiah athletes feted at JC,"]
''Ottawa Sun''.["Records Fall Before Maccabiah Games Even Begin; U.S. squad is largest ever in what officials say is 'a life-changing experience',"](_blank)
''Jewish Week''. The Maccabiah Games were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
in 1961.
[Bard and Schwartz, p. 84.]
Games
Originally, the Maccabiah was held every three years. Since the
4th Maccabiah
Eight hundred ninety athletes representing 23 countries competed in the 1953 4th Maccabiah Games, held September 20 to 29, in 18 branches of sports.
Israeli President Itzhak Ben-Zvi opened the Games at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv District, in ...
, the event has generally been held every four years, in the year following the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
.
The Maccabiah Games are open to
Jewish athletes from around the world, as well as to all Israeli athletes regardless of ethnicity or religion;
Arab Israelis
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
have also competed in it.
Competitions at the Maccabiah are organized into four divisions:
1) Open (Seniors); 2) Juniors; 3) Masters; and 4) Disabled. The Games are organized by the
Maccabi World Union
Maccabi World Union is an international Jewish sports organisation spanning five continents (Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Europe) and more than 50 countries, with some 400,000 members. The Maccabi World Union organises the Macc ...
.
Etymology
The name ''Maccabiah'' was chosen after
Judah Maccabee
Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleu ...
, a Jewish leader who defended his country from King
Antiochus.
Modi'in
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( he, מוֹדִיעִין-מַכַּבִּים-רֵעוּת) is an Israeli city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In t ...
, Judah's birthplace, is also the starting location of the torch that lights the flames at the opening ceremony, a tradition that started at the
4th Maccabiah
Eight hundred ninety athletes representing 23 countries competed in the 1953 4th Maccabiah Games, held September 20 to 29, in 18 branches of sports.
Israeli President Itzhak Ben-Zvi opened the Games at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv District, in ...
.
History
![1st Maccabiah, Tel Aviv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/1st_Maccabiah%2C_Tel_Aviv.jpg)
The Maccabiah Games were the result of a proposal put forward by
Yosef Yekutieli
Yosef Yekutieli (also Joseph Yekutieli; he, יוסף יקותיאלי; April 12, 1897 – September 25, 1982) was a prominent member of the international Jewish sports organisation Maccabi World Union, Maccabi. He was the founder of the Ma ...
in 1929 at the ''Maccabi World Congress''. Yekutieli, who heard about the
Stockholm Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, bet ...
, wanted to form a representation for
Eretz Yisrael
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Israe ...
. Following the appointment of the new
British Palestine High Commissioner, Sir
Arthur Grenfell Wauchope
General Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope (1 March 1874 – 14 September 1947) was a British soldier and colonial administrator.
Military career
Educated at Repton School, Wauchope was commissioned into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 189 ...
, the Maccabiah got the go-ahead.
The
1st Maccabiah
The 1st Maccabiah (aka The Maccabiah and the White Horse Olympics) ( he, המכביה הראשונה or he, המכביאדה) was the first edition of the Maccabiah, which was held in Mandatory Palestine from March 28 to April 2, 1932. The games ...
opened on March 28, 1932.
[Mendelsohn p. 31.] The
Maccabiah Stadium
The Maccabiah Stadium ( he, אצטדיון המכביה ''Itztadion HaMakabiya'') was a football stadium on the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Maccabiah Stadium was built in 1932 for the first Maccabiah Games and was filled to capacity for t ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, which was built with donations, was filled to capacity. Roughly 400 athletes from 18 countries took part in everything from swimming, football, and handball, to various athletics. In the first Games, the Polish delegation took first place.
The Maccabiah Games were intended to take place at an interval of three years. Following the success of the first Games, the
2nd Maccabiah
The 2nd Maccabiah ( he, המכביה השנייה), aka the Aliyah Olympics, which was held in April 1935, was the second edition of the Maccabiah Games. The Games were held despite official opposition by the British Mandatory government. A total ...
was held from April 2 to 10, 1935, despite official opposition by the British Mandatory government. Over 1,300 athletes from 28 nations participated. The
3rd Maccabiah
The 3rd Maccabiah ( he, המכביה השלישית) took place during Sukkot from September 27 to October 8, 1950, with 17 countries competing. It was the third edition of the Maccabiah Games and the first held since the independence of the State ...
, which was originally scheduled for spring of 1938,
was postponed until 1950 due to British concerns of large-scale illegal immigration,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and the
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
. It became the first Maccabiah to be held after the establishment of the
State of Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
Starting from the
4th Maccabiah
Eight hundred ninety athletes representing 23 countries competed in the 1953 4th Maccabiah Games, held September 20 to 29, in 18 branches of sports.
Israeli President Itzhak Ben-Zvi opened the Games at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv District, in ...
, the games were changed to take place every four years in the year following the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and since 1953, the Games have taken place every four years, with the exception of the 21st Maccabiah, which was postponed for one year due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The
15th edition was marred by what became known as the
Maccabiah bridge disaster, when a temporary bridge built for the march of athletes at the opening ceremony collapsed, plunging about 100 members of the Australian delegation into the waters of the
Yarkon River
The Yarkon River, also Yarqon River or Jarkon River ( he, נחל הירקון, ''Nahal HaYarkon'', ar, نهر العوجا, ''Nahr al-Auja''), is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon ("Greenish" in Hebrew) is at Tel Afek (Antip ...
. Four athletes were killed, and 63 injured.
[Bard and Schwartz, p. 85.] More than 5,000 participants from over 50 countries competed in those Games.
![President Biden launched the 21st Maccabiah Games](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/President_Biden_launched_the_21st_Maccabiah_Games.jpg)
Over the last two decades, the number of participants grew to 9,000 athletes in the
19th Maccabiah
The 19th Maccabiah ( he, המכביה התשע-עשרה) were held during July 18 to 30, 2013.
The Games brought together 7,500 competing athletes, making it the third-largest international sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and ...
, from 78 countries, making it the 3rd-largest sporting event in the world and the second largest sporting event in 2013, behind the
2013 Summer Universiade
The 2013 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXVII Summer Universiade (russian: XXVII Летняя Универсиада), was held in the city of Kazan, Russia, the most northerly city ever to host a Summer Universiade. Over 10,400 un ...
.
It is a forum for Jewish athletes to meet and convene, and provides the athletes with opportunities to explore Israel and Jewish history.
Approximately 10,000 athletes, from 80 countries, were expected to compete in 42 sports categories in the
21st Maccabaiah. It was reportedly the world's largest sporting event in 2022.
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Joe Biden attended the opening ceremonies, cheering on the U.S. delegation of 1,400 athletes—larger than the U.S. delegation to the
2021 Tokyo Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
.
This made him the first American president to attend the Maccabiah Games.
Editions of World Maccabiah
The following is an overview of the Games:
Summer Maccabiah
Winter Maccabiah
![Maccabiah Bronze Medal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Maccabiah_Bronze_Medal.jpg)
Prior to World War II there was an attempt to organize a winter Maccabiah. Due to the relatively warm temperatures in Palestine, the winter Maccabiot were organized in European nations. The
1st Winter Maccabiah
The 1st Winter Maccabiah ( he, מכביית החורף הראשונה; pl, Pierwsza zimowa Makabiada) was held in Zakopane, Poland from February 2 to 5, 1933. Coincidentally, the opening ceremony took place two days after Adolf Hitler was Adolf H ...
was held in
Zakopane
Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been par ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, February 2 to 5, 1933.
[Mendelsohn p. 26.][Hanak. p. 1.] The games were met with great opposition; the ''
Gazeta Warszawska
''Gazeta Warszawska'' (lit. ''Warsaw Gazette'') was the first newspaper published regularly in Warsaw for an extended period of time. Founded in 1774, it remained active under a variety of names until 1935. The names included the ''Gazeta Wolna ...
'' newspaper encouraged Polish youth to intervene during the games to prevent the "Jewification of Polish winter sports venues".
A second attempt at the winter games was relatively more successful. The
2nd Winter Maccabiah took place February 18 to 22, 1936, in
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mo ...
(then
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
).
In the games, 2,000 athletes from 12 nations participated. This was the last time a winter Maccabiah was ever held, and the only two Maccabiot to not take place in the
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...
; although
Maccabi still runs smaller regional winter games to date.
Regional Maccabiah
European Maccabiah
List:
Pan American Maccabiah
Latin American Maccabi's (CLAM) from 1966 Pan American Maccabiah:
Oceania Maccabiah (Junior Carnival)
The Maccabi Junior Carnivals are a sporting event held for the Jewish youth of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
or
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It has been held annually since 1982, usually in January.
Venues were:
#
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
1982
#
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
1983
#
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
1984
# Sydney 1986
#
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
1987
#
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
1988
# Sydney 1989
# Perth 1990
# Melbourne 1991
# Sydney 1992
# Perth 1993
# Melbourne 1994
# Sydney 1995
# Melbourne 1996
# Perth 1997
# Sydney 1998
# Melbourne 1999
# Perth 2000
# Sydney 2001
# Melbourne 2002
# Perth 2003
#
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
2004
# Sydney 2005
# Perth 2006
# Melbourne 2007
# Auckland 2008
# Sydney 2009
# Perth 2010
# Melbourne 2011
# Brisbane 2012
# Sydney 2013
# Perth 2014
# Melbourne 2015
# Sydney 2016
# Sydney 2017
# Melbourne 2018
# Sydney 2019
Medals
Ceremonies
![The flag of the World Zionist Movement at Maccabiah 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/The_flag_of_the_World_Zionist_Movement_at_Maccabiah_2013.JPG)
The Maccabiah ceremonies are two ceremonial events that take place during the first and last days of the
Maccabiah
The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...
games. The ceremonies are an important part of the
Jewish culture
Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practice, and identity. Jewi ...
in Israel and the
Zionist movement
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Jew ...
. The ceremonies of the Maccabiah trace their roots to the Olympic Games of the early 20th century. As such, they share many similarities.
The Maccabiah opening ceremony, which is organized by the
Maccabi World Union
Maccabi World Union is an international Jewish sports organisation spanning five continents (Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Europe) and more than 50 countries, with some 400,000 members. The Maccabi World Union organises the Macc ...
, has recently been presented in English, Hebrew, and Spanish.
Opening
![OpeningCeremonyMaccabiah17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/OpeningCeremonyMaccabiah17.JPG)
The opening ceremonies represent the official commencement of the Maccabiah. Some sports however, such as golf and rugby, might start prior to the opening ceremonies in order to finish on time.
The opening ceremony for the first Games was held at the new
Maccabiah Stadium
The Maccabiah Stadium ( he, אצטדיון המכביה ''Itztadion HaMakabiya'') was a football stadium on the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Maccabiah Stadium was built in 1932 for the first Maccabiah Games and was filled to capacity for t ...
. The Stadium, which is located next to the
Yarkon River
The Yarkon River, also Yarqon River or Jarkon River ( he, נחל הירקון, ''Nahal HaYarkon'', ar, نهر العوجا, ''Nahr al-Auja''), is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon ("Greenish" in Hebrew) is at Tel Afek (Antip ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, was finished just the night before. The Stadium also hosted the 2nd Maccabiah in 1935. For the
3rd Maccabiah
The 3rd Maccabiah ( he, המכביה השלישית) took place during Sukkot from September 27 to October 8, 1950, with 17 countries competing. It was the third edition of the Maccabiah Games and the first held since the independence of the State ...
, the opening ceremony took place in a new
stadium in Ramat Gan. The stadium has been hosting the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah ever since, with the exception of the
16th
16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and .
In English speech, ...
,
19th, and
20th Maccabiah Games which were held in
Teddy Stadium
Teddy Stadium ( he, אצטדיון טדי) is a sports stadium in the Malha neighborhood of Jerusalem. Three football teams currently use the stadium: Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Jerusalem, and the Israel national football team for select home match ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
![US delegation at the Maccabiah Games 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/US_delegation_at_the_Maccabiah_Games_2013.JPG)
The ceremonies often start with the introduction of the active participants of the
Maccabi youth movement
The "Maccabi youth movement" (, ''HaMaccabi HaTza'ir'') is a Zionist youth movement established during the international convention of the Maccabi organization in Prague, Czech Republic in 1929. As the Maccabi movement is involved with promoting ...
. After the parade of nations, the opening ceremony continues on with a presentation of artistic displays of music, singing, dance, and theater representative of the Jewish culture. In recent games, Jewish singers from around the world participated in the opening ceremony. For example, in 2013,
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winner
Miri Ben-Ari
Miri Ben-Ari ( he, מירי בן-ארי; born December 4, 1978) is an American–Israeli musician, producer, and humanitarian, known as "the hip-hop violinist".
Life and career
Ben-Ari was born in Tel Aviv District, Israel. She grew up playing ...
and
''X Factor'' USA finalist
Carly Rose Sonenclar
Carly Rose Sonenclar (born April 20, 1999), who performs under the name Carly Rose, is an American singer, songwriter and an actress. In December 2012, she became the runner-up on the second season of ''The X Factor''.
Early and personal life ...
performed at the opening ceremony.
Parade of Nations
Just like at the Olympics, the Maccabiah starts out with a "Parade of Nations", during which most participating athletes march into the stadium, country by country. The countries enter the stadium in accordance with the
Hebrew alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet ( he, wikt:אלפבית, אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is an abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew languag ...
. The parade of nations, in contrast to some other games, include junior and disabled athletes who also partake in the competitions. In accordance with the Maccabiah's tradition, the Israeli delegation always enters last.
Closing
The closing ceremony of the Maccabiah Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded. Typically, a member of Maccabi or some other well-known figure makes the closing speech and the Games officially close. The ceremony includes large artistic displays of music, singing, and dance. Various Jewish singers perform during the closing ceremony. In recent years, the closing ceremonies included popular musicians and live music and dancing.
Medal presentation
A medal ceremony is held after each Maccabiah event is concluded. The winner, second, and third-place competitors or teams stand on top of a three-tiered rostrum to be awarded their respective medals. Medals are awarded by an official Maccabi member.
Ceremony hosts
Sports
The Maccabiah Games recognize all 28 current Olympic sports, plus a number of other sports such as
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
,
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, and
netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...
. In contrast with the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and other major international sporting events, the Maccabiah rules regarding accepting new sports are very lenient. New sports are accepted to the Maccabiah Games provided that competitions will only take place if at least four delegations bring competitors for that sport (three in the case of female sports, as well as the junior divisions). As a result, the Maccabiah has held various unique competitions such as
duplicate bridge
Duplicate bridge is a variation of contract bridge where the same set of bridge deals (i.e. the distribution of the 52 cards among the four hands) are played by different competitors, and scoring is based on relative performance. In this way, eve ...
.
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
, not yet on the Olympic schedule, made its debut in 1977 at the 10th Maccabiah Games. The requisite number of initial countries signed on and agreed to send delegations. Since 1977, karate has participated uninterrupted. Although at the beginning karate was only contested in the fighting or
kumite
Kumite ( ja, 組手, literally "grappling hands") is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.
Kumite can be used to develop a partic ...
category, forms or
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
was included in 1981. In 1985, women's karate was added. Junior and youth categories made their debut in 2009. The
World Karate Federation
The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the largest international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It was formed in 1990, is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than te ...
, a member of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC), oversees and supervises the rules of karate competition at the Maccabiah.
The Maccabiah Games are organized into four divisions: Open, Junior, Masters, and Paralympics.
* Open – The Open games are generally unlimited in age, and are intended for the best athletes from each delegation, bound by the governing international rules in each sport.
* Junior – The Junior Maccabiah games are open to any qualifying athlete aged 15–18.
* Masters – The Masters games are for older competitors; they are divided into a number of different age categories.
* Paralympic – The Paralympic games are generally open to all athletes with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities. Past games included
Para-cycling
Para-cycling (or Paracycling) is the sport of cycling (sport), cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disability, disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which in ...
,
Paralympic swimming
Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming for athletes with disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions throughout the world. The sport is governed by the International Para ...
,
Para table tennis
Para table tennis is a parasports which follows the rules set by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The usual table tennis rules are in effect with slight modifications for wheelchair athletes. Athletes from disability groups can ...
,
Half Marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...
, and
Wheelchair Basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing a non-disabled sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of ...
.
In recent Maccabiot there has been a renewed interest in introducing new sports to the Maccabiah. In the
15th Maccabiah
The 15th Maccabiah Games are remembered for being marred by a bridge collapse that killed several participants.
The Maccabiah had more than 5,000 athletes from 33 countries competing in 36 sports. New sports for the Games included beach volleybal ...
Games,
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
was first introduced. Ice hockey was not included in immediately subsequent games, but returned in the
19th Maccabiah
The 19th Maccabiah ( he, המכביה התשע-עשרה) were held during July 18 to 30, 2013.
The Games brought together 7,500 competing athletes, making it the third-largest international sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and ...
.
Squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
became an official sport in the
10th Maccabiah
At the 10th Maccabiah Games in Israel, more than 2,800 athletes from 34 countries participated in 26 different sports, including chess and bridge.
The opening ceremonies were held on July 12, 1977, in Ramat Gan Stadium before a crowd of 50,000 p ...
Games in 1977. The 19th Maccabiah was also granted provisional approval for
dressage
Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...
and
jumping
Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and o ...
competitions from the
FEI.
Champions and medalists
Notable participants
![Zach Hyman Maccabi Games](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Zach_Hyman_Maccabi_Games.jpg)
Athletes who have competed in the Maccabiah Games include many Olympic gold medalists, world champions, and world record holders. Among them have been
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
,
Lenny Krayzelburg
Lenny Krayzelburg (born September 28, 1975, as Leonid Krayzelburg; uk, Леонід Крайзельбург, russian: link=no, Леони́д Кра́йзельбург) is an American former backstroke swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and form ...
,
Jason Lezak
Jason Edward Lezak (born November 12, 1975) is an American former competitive swimmer and swimming executive. As a swimmer, Lezak specialized in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. His pro career lasted for nearly fifteen years, spannin ...
,
Marilyn Ramenofsky
Marilyn Ramenofsky (born August 20, 1946) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. She is currently a researcher at the University of California at Davis, studying the physiology and behavior ...
, and
Anthony Ervin
Anthony Lee Ervin (born May 26, 1981) is an American competition swimmer who has won four Olympic medals and two World Championship golds. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle, and earned a silver med ...
(swimming);
Mitch Gaylord
Mitchell Jay Gaylord (born March 10, 1961) is an American gymnast, actor, and Olympic gold medalist.
Early life
Gaylord was born in Van Nuys, California, the son of Fred and Linda Gaylord, and is Jewish. Gaylord graduated from Grant High Schoo ...
,
Abie Grossfeld
Abie Grossfeld (born March 1, 1934) is an American gymnastics coach and former gymnast. Grossfeld has represented the United States as a gymnastics competitor or coach in seven Olympic Games, seven World Championships, six Maccabiah Games, and f ...
,
Ágnes Keleti
Ágnes Keleti (''né'' Klein; 9 January 1921) is a Hungarian-Israeli retired Olympic and world champion artistic gymnast and coach. She is the oldest living Olympic champion and medalist, reaching her 100th birthday January 9, 2021. While repres ...
,
Valery Belenky
Valeri Vladimirovich Belenki (russian: Валерий Владимирович Беленький, german: Valeri Belenki; born 5 September 1969) is a retired Azerbaijani artistic gymnast who competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Career ...
, and
Kerri Strug
Kerri Allyson Strug (born November 19, 1977) is a retired American gymnast from Tucson, Arizona. She was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the victorious all-around women's gymnastics team that represented the United States at the 1996 Summer ...
(gymnastics);
Ernie Grunfeld
Ernest Grunfeld (born April 24, 1955) is a Romanian-American former professional basketball player and former general manager in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In college at the University of Tennessee, he set a new record as the sch ...
,
Danny Schayes
Daniel Leslie Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played for Syracuse University and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 1981 until 1999. At 6' 11" and 235 pounds, h ...
, (coaches);
Larry Brown,
Nat Holman
Nat Holman (October 19, 1896 – February 12, 1995) was an American professional basketball player and college coach. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only coach to lead his team to NCAA and National In ...
, and
Dolph Schayes
Adolph Schayes (May 19, 1928 – December 10, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection ...
(basketball);
Carina Benninga
Carina Marguerite Benninga (born 18 August 1962 in Leiden) is a former Dutch field hockey player, who played 158 international matches for The Netherlands hockey team, in which she scored 25 goals. She was part of the gold medal ...
(field hockey);
Lillian Copeland
Lillian Copeland (born Lillian Drossin; November 24, 1904 – July 7, 1964) was an American track and field Olympic champion athlete, who excelled in discus, javelin throwing, and shot put, setting multiple world records. She has been called "t ...
,
Gerry Ashworth
Gerald Howard "Gerry" Ashworth (born May 1, 1942 in Haverhill, Massachusetts to Earl Ashworth) was an American former track athlete and a gold medalist in the 4 x 100 meter relay in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He won two gold medals sprinting in t ...
, and
Gary Gubner
Gary Jay Gubner (born December 1, 1942) is an American retired heavyweight weightlifter, shot putter and discus thrower. He had his best results in weightlifting, winning two world championship medals in 1962 and 1965 and placing fourth at the ...
(track and field);
Angela Buxton,
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert (born August 9, 1961) is a former professional tennis player and an American tennis coach. During his career, he won 20 singles titles and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 in 1990, and a career-high doubles rank ...
,
Julie Heldman
Julie Heldman (born December 8, 1945) is an American tennis player who won 22 singles titles. In 1969 and 1974, she was ranked as the world No. 5. In 1968 and 1969, she was ranked No. 2 in the U.S. She was Canadian National 18 and Under Singles ...
,
Allen Fox
Allen E. Fox (born June 25, 1939) is an American former tennis player in the 1960s and 1970s who went on to be a college coach and author. He was ranked as high as U.S. No. 4 in 1962, and was in the top ten in the U.S. five times between 1961 ...
,
Nicolás Massú
Nicolás Alejandro Massú Fried (; born 10 October 1979), nicknamed ''El Vampiro'' (Spanish, 'the vampire'), is a Chilean former professional tennis player. A former world No. 9 in singles, he won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 200 ...
, and
Dick Savitt
Richard Savitt (March 4, 1927 – January 6, 2023) was an American tennis player.
In 1951, at the age of 24, he won both the Australian and Wimbledon men's singles championships. Savitt was mostly ranked world No. 2 the same year behind fellow ...
(tennis);
Angelica Rozeanu
Angelica Rozeanu (née Adelstein) (15 October 1921 – 21 February 2006) was a Romanian table tennis player of Jewish origin, the most successful female table tennis player in the history of the sport, winning the women's world singles title 6 ye ...
(table tennis);
Sergey Sharikov
Sergey Aleksandrovich Sharikov (russian: Сергей Александрович Шариков, 18 June 1974 – 6 June 2015), also known as Serguei/Sergei Charikov, was a left-handed Russian Olympic champion sabre fencer. In the Olympics he w ...
,
Vadim Gutzeit
Vadim Gutzeit ( uk, Вадим Маркович Гутцайт; also Vadym Guttsayt or Vadym Markovich Hutsayt; born 6 October 1971) is a Ukrainian Olympic champion sabre fencer, and current Ukraine's Youth and Sport Minister, as well as the ...
,
Soren Thompson
Soren Hunter Miles Sussman Thompson (born May 5, 1981) is an American épée fencer, team world champion, and two-time Olympian. He represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where he reached the quarterfinals and came in 7t ...
, and
Mariya Mazina (fencing);
Isaac Berger
Isaac "Ike" Berger (November 16, 1936 – June 4, 2022) was an American weightlifter, who competed for the United States at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won one gold and two silver medals. He held eight world records (four official and f ...
and
Frank Spellman (weightlifting);
Lindsey Durlacher
Lindsey Durlacher (September 14, 1974 – June 4, 2011) was an American Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestler whose career highlight was a bronze medal at the 2006 FILA Wrestling World Championships at 121 pounds. He was among ...
,
Jason Goldman
Jason "Spicy G" Goldman, known professionally as Spicy G, is an American music producer, songwriter, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and educator. He co-produced Michael Bublé, Michael Buble's Grammy Nominated, Juno winning, platinum selling 2 ...
,
Fred Oberlander
Fred Oberlander (23 May 1911 – 6 July 1996) was an Austrian, British, and Canadian wrestler. He was born in Vienna, Austria. He won the World Championships in 1935. Oberlander was offered a chance to compete for Austria at the 1936 Summ ...
, and
Henry Wittenberg
Henry Wittenberg (September 18, 1918 – March 9, 2010) was an American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. He won two Olympic medals and was the first American wrestler after 1908 to achieve this feat. Wittenberg at one ...
(wrestling);
Max Fried
Max Dorian Fried ( ; born January 18, 1994), nicknamed "Maximus", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Drafted in 2012 by the San Diego Padres in the first round, seventh overall, F ...
and
Dean Kremer
Dean Junior Kremer ( he, דין קרמר; born January 7, 1996) is an Israeli–American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). In 2015 he became the first Israeli drafted by an MLB team. He made ...
(baseball);
Donald Spero
Donald M. "Don" Spero (born August 9, 1939) is an American physicist, venture capitalist, and a former U.S. and world champion rower who competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics and won the single sculls 1966 World Rowing Championships. He also wo ...
and
Michael Oren
Michael Bornstein Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein; May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), former member of the Knesset fo ...
(rowing);
Bruce Fleisher
Bruce Lee Fleisher (October 16, 1948 – September 23, 2021) was an American professional golfer.
Early years and amateur career
Fleisher was born in Union City, Tennessee, and was Jewish.
In 1950, the Fleisher family moved to Wilmington, North ...
(golf);
Adam Bacher,
Dennis Gamsy
Dennis Gamsy (born 17 February 1940 in Glenwood, Natal) is a former South African cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each e ...
,
Neil Rosendorff
Neil Rosendorff (22 January 1945 – 12 September 2015) was a South African cricketer. He played 70 first-class matches for Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boe ...
,
Marshall Rosen,
Bob Herman (cricket);
Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand ( he, בוריס אברמוביץ' גלפנד; be, Барыс Абрамавіч Гельфанд, Barys Abramavich Hel'fand; russian: Борис Абрамович Гельфанд, Boris Abramovich Gel'fand; born 24 June 1968) ...
and
Judit Polgár
Judit Polgár (born 23 July 1976) is a Hungarian chess grandmaster, generally considered the strongest female chess player of all time. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the you ...
(chess);
Irwin Cotler
Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, OQ (born May 8, 1940) is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal gov ...
(ping pong);
Marcelo Lipatin,
Jeff Agoos
Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos served as the Sporting Director for the N ...
, and
Jonathan Bornstein
Jonathan Rey Bornstein (born November 7, 1984) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back. He has captained and made 38 appearances for the United States national team. In addition to also playing for Chivas USA in Major ...
(association football);
Steve March Tormé
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
(fast-pitch softball);
Shawn Lipman
Shawn Lipman (born 25 September 1964) is an American South African-born rugby union player.
He was inducted into the US Rugby Hall of Fame in 2019, together with US Internationals Luke Gross and Vaea Anitoni. Lipman was also inducted into the ...
(rugby);
Dov Sternberg
Dov Sternberg is an American karateka.
Early life
Sternberg is from Woodmere, New York. His father, Dr. Alex Sternberg, founded the American Maccabiah Games karate team in 1977.
Karate career
Sternberg began training in karate at age five. He ...
(karate); and
Ori Sasson (judo).
Participating nations
![Countries at the Maccabiah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Countries_at_the_Maccabiah.svg)
The Maccabiah Games have grown into one of the world's largest sporting events, with 85 participating countries in the current edition of the Maccabiah. Below is a list of countries that participated in the most recent games in 2017. Scroll down for participating nations from the 2014 edition and other games
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
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*
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*
*
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*
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*
Early games featured many delegations from the
Arab nations
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...
.
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, a Muslim, but not Arab country, which debuted at the
7th Maccabiah
The 7th Maccabiah Games in 1965 saw 1,500 athletes from 29 different countries compete in 21 sports. It was the first Maccabiah Games for Iran, Jamaica, Peru, and Venezuela. The United States delegation won the most gold medals, followed by Israel, ...
, stopped participating following the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
. Some of these countries have participated under multiple flags. Countries that previously participated but did not in the most recent Maccabiah are:
*
*
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
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Former entity:
*
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See also
*
Islamic Solidarity Games
The Islamic Solidarity Games ( ar, ألعاب التضامن الإسلامي) is a multinational, multi-sport event. The Games involve the elite athletes of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation who compete in a variety of sports. The Solidari ...
*
Maccabi Australia
Maccabi Australia is a Jewish Australian sporting organisation. It is part of Maccabi World Union. Maccabi teams compete in many sports such as association football, Australian rules football, basketball, table tennis and more. Maccabi Australi ...
*
Sport in Israel
Sport in Israel plays an important role in Israeli culture and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport. The most popular sports in Israel have traditionally been Association football (mainly) and basketball (secondly) - with the first ...
*
European Maccabi Games 2015 The 14th European Maccabi Games (EMG2015) take place in Berlin from July 27 to August 5, 2015. The European Maccabiah Games take place in a four-year cycle, two years after the Maccabiah in Israel. Germany has been selected for the first time in i ...
*
Muscular Judaism
Muscular Judaism (german: Muskeljudentum) is a term coined by Max Nordau in his speech at the Second Zionist Congress held in Basel on August 28, 1898. In his speech, he spoke about the need to design the " new Jew" and reject the " old Jew", wit ...
*
Judenklub
''Judenklub'' ( en, Jew club) is a derogatory, antisemitic term used throughout the Nazi era in Germany and Austria, applied to association football clubs with strong Jewish heritage and connections. Some of the most prominent clubs referred to in ...
*
Makkabiade
References
Works cited
*
*
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External links
*
TV report on the Maccabiah Games in ViennaEuropean Maccabi Games 2015 Official Websitea
Jewish SportsThe Maccabiyah Games – a sportive best regards from the fifties, Exhibition in the IDF&defense establishment archives*Jacob Gurvis (July 22, 2022).
"How the Maccabiah Games supported a Jewish family in the face of tragedy,"The Jerusalem Post
''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...
{{Authority control
International sports competitions hosted by Israel
Israeli culture
Multi-sport events
Maccabi World Union
Multi-sport events in Israel
Quadrennial sporting events
Recurring sporting events established in 1932