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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-sport event hel
quadrennially
in Israel.Nauright, p. 364. The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, and to all
Israeli citizens Israeli citizenship law details the conditions by which a person holds citizenship of Israel. The two primary pieces of legislation governing these requirements are the 1950 Law of Return and 1952 Citizenship Law. Every Jew in the world has ...
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)."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',"
''Jewish Week''.
The Maccabiah Games were declared a "Regional Sports Event" by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee 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 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.


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 Antiochus is a Greek male first name, which was a dynastic name for rulers of the Seleucid Empire and the Kingdom of Commagene. In Jewish historical memory, connected with the Maccabean Revolt and the holiday of Hanukkah, "Antiochus" refers spec ...
. Modi'in, 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

The Maccabiah Games were the result of a proposal put forward by Yosef Yekutieli in 1929 at the ''Maccabi World Congress''. Yekutieli, who heard about the Stockholm Olympics, wanted to form a representation for Eretz Yisrael. 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 in Tel Aviv, 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, 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
15th edition 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...
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. 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 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

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, Poland, February 2 to 5, 1933.Mendelsohn p. 26.Hanak. p. 1. The games were met with great opposition; the '' Gazeta Warszawska'' 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 The 2nd Winter Maccabiah ( he, מכביית החורף השנייה) was the second edition of the Winter Maccabiah that took place from February 18 to 22 of 1936 in Banská Bystrica, (then Czechoslovakia). The 2nd Winter Maccabiah was the last Wi ...
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). 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. 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 1983 # Melbourne 1984 # Sydney 1986 # Brisbane 1987 # Adelaide 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 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 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. 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, has recently been presented in English, Hebrew, and Spanish.


Opening

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 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, 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 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...
, and 20th Maccabiah Games which were held in Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem. The ceremonies often start with the introduction of the active participants of the Maccabi youth movement. 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-winner Miri Ben-Ari 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 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,
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. In contrast with the Olympic Games 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.
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 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, a member of the International Olympic Committee (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 table tennis, Half Marathon, and Wheelchair Basketball. 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 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 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 competitions from the FEI.


Champions and medalists


Notable participants

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,
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 (swimming); Mitch Gaylord,
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, Valery Belenky, and Kerri Strug (gymnastics); Ernie Grunfeld,
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, and Dolph Schayes (basketball); Carina Benninga (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 Angela Buxton (16 August 193414 August 2020) was a British tennis player. She won the women's doubles title at both the French Championships and Wimbledon in 1956 with her playing partner Althea Gibson. Early life Buxton was born in Liverpool o ...
,
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, and Dick Savitt (tennis); Angelica Rozeanu (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 Maria Valeryevna Mazina (born 18 April 1964) is a Russian women's épée fencer. She is an Olympic champion, and a 5-time world women's épée champion. Early and personal life Mazina was born in Moscow, Russia, and is Jewish. She lives in Mos ...
(fencing); Isaac Berger and
Frank Spellman Frank Isaac Spellman (September 17, 1922 – January 12, 2017) was an American middleweight Olympic champion weightlifter. He won a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics, and a bronze medal and a silver medal at the World Championships in 1946–47. H ...
(weightlifting); Lindsey Durlacher, Jason Goldman,
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 (wrestling); Max Fried 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 won ...
and Michael Oren (rowing); Bruce Fleisher (golf);
Adam Bacher Adam Marc Bacher (born 29 October 1973) is a South African cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler. He is the nephew of former South African captain and cricket chief Ali Bacher. Biography Bacher entered Sout ...
,
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,
Marshall Rosen Marshall Frederick Rosen (born 17 September 1948) is a former cricket player for New South Wales, and a member of the NSW Cricket Association Board. Cricket career Rosen represented New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield between 1971 and 1975 ...
, Bob Herman (cricket); Boris Gelfand and Judit Polgár (chess); Irwin Cotler (ping pong);
Marcelo Lipatin Marcelo is a given name, the Spanish and Portuguese form of Marcellus. The Italian version of the name is Marcello, differing in having an additional "l". Marcelo may refer to: *Marcelo Costa de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian serial killer, rapis ...
,
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 (association football); Steve March Tormé (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 (karate); and
Ori Sasson Or "Ori" Sasson ( he, אור "אורי" ששון; born 18 August 1990) is a retired Israeli Olympic judoka. He won a bronze medal in the +100 kg category at the 2016 Summer Olympics and another one at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the se ...
(judo).


Participating nations

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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Early games featured many delegations from the Arab nations. Iran, 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: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Former entity: * *


See also

* Islamic Solidarity Games *
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 *
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 * Judenklub * Makkabiade


References


Works cited

* * ** * *


External links

*
TV report on the Maccabiah Games in Vienna

European Maccabi Games 2015 Official Website
a
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 {{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