The JCC Maccabi Games®
Established in 1982, the JCC Maccabi Games® are a significant Jewish peoplehood experience that inspire Jewish pride, build communities, and empower Jewish teenagers through transformative experiences. Over the past four decades, engagement in the JCC Maccabi Games® has grown exponentially from 300 to 3,000 Jewish teenage athletes participating from across the globe. Co-sponsored by JCC Association of North America, Maccabi World Union, Maccabi Canada, and Maccabi USA, the JCC Maccabi Games® are the world’s largest Jewish youth event.
Hosted for a week each summer in one of several communities in North America, the JCC Maccabi Games® are an Olympic-style individual and team competition for Jewish teen athletes, ages 13-17 years old. With an opportunity to participate in a wide range of sports and athletic endeavours, the JCC Maccabi Games® also promote leadership and teamwork, community involvement, and Jewish learning.
For many participants, the JCC Maccabi Games® are more than an athletic competition – they are a life-shaping experience and remain a primary connection to Jewish community, global Jewish life, and Israel.
With the goal of inspiring Jewish pride and strengthening communities, the JCC Maccabi Games® have impacted more that 130,000 Jewish teenagers from North America and around the world. The Games are an immersive experience deeply rooted in Jewish values where participants explore their Jewish identity, build friendships that transcend geographic borders and create memories that last a lifetime.
The Spirit of the Games
For one week each summer, Jewish teenage athletes unite from around the world to proudly represent their local delegations at the JCC Maccabi Games®. While athleticism may be at the forefront for some, at the heart of the JCC Maccabi Games® is a mission that extends beyond competition – a mission to make the world, and ourselves, better through Jewish values.
In 2013, the JCC Maccabi Games® introduced six midot to shape the spirit of the Games and guide every participant through a welcoming, successful, and meaningful experience – on and off the field.
LEV TOV | BIG HEARTED
“The desire to be good to all … this is the internal core of the essence of the Jewish soul.” - RABBI KOOK
Welcoming others is an essential component of what it means to be Jewish. With open hearts, we invite friends and family to our homes on Shabbat, holidays or a regular weekday evening to share meals, stories and traditions. Kindness is at the core of being a mensch—a true human being.
GA’AVA | PRIDE
“One must show the way by experience.” - DAVID BEN GURION
Pride is the feeling of being confident in the world. It is reaching your full potential and claiming your space: I exist. I have worth. I give back. Taking pride and honoring our bodies is a way of honoring God.
RINA | JOY
“Serve God with joy!”
- PSALMS 100:2
“Rebbe Nachman teaches, “It is a great mitzvah to be happy aways.”
- LIKUTEY MOHARAN II, 24
Being happy isn’t always easy; life has its disappointments and frustrations. But finding joy can be as simple as a beautiful sunset, dinner with friend or finally winning that gold medal!
TIKKUN OLAM | REPAIRING THE WORLD
“Shimon (the son of Rabban Gamliel) says: “It is not what one says, but rather what one does, that makes all the difference in the world.”
- PIRKEI AVOT 1:17
The Hebrew phrase Tikkun Olam means “repairing the world.” In modern Jewish circles, Tikkun Olam has become synonymous with the notion of social action and the pursuit of social action and the pursuit of social justice.
AMIT YEHUDIT | JEWISH PEOPLEHOOD
“Kol Yisreal arevim aeh bazeh – All Israel is responsible for one another.”
- TALMUD SHEVUOT 39A
Amit Yehudit is the awareness of the underlying unity that makes an individual Jew part of the Jewish people. This includes the sense of belonging and commitment to the Jewish people, their values, big ideas and potential, as well as to Israel, the expression of national sovereignty.
Recognizing the current challenging times for the Jewish community, this value comes into focus. Unity and the celebration of Jewish life take precedence, and the Games provide a secure space for Jewish teens to express their identity as Jews, athletes and friends.
KAVOD | RESPECT
“Rabbi Yishmael says, ‘Be yielding to your elder, be pleasant with the young, and greet every person with joy.”
- PIRKEI AVOT 3:16
Judaism teaches us to treat ourselves and others with respect. Even a stranger is to be treated with respect. Kavod is a feeling of regard for the rights, dignity, feelings, wishes and abilities of others. Teasing, name calling and bullying disrespects and hurts everyone; we must learn to appreciate people for who they are.
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