A Merf in the Promised Land: Maccabiah....kind of a big deal!

I’m kind of a sport aficionado…false. My sister, Casey, has always been the one who could impress people being “in the know” within the sports world. I, on the other hand, spent the majority of my childhood indoors, dancing and singing, so I have very little skill or knowledge in that field. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that I didn’t even think to ask Brett (my groupmate who interns at Maccabiah Sports) for information about the events that were about to hit Israel. Luckily for me, he hooked us up with free tickets to the opening ceremony at the Ramat Gan National Stadium without even asking!
You may or may not be familiar with the Maccabiah Games: The Maccabiah is the world´s largest and best Jewish athletic competition in the tradition and values of Maccabi, emphasizing the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of the Jewish People. It’s the Jewish Olympics! As they only happen every four years, it’s a pretty big deal that I’m here to witness it in person! And not only is the Maccabiah a big deal, but this year is the 18th Maccabiah; the number 18 is a lucky number in Jewish heritage as it’s alphabet partner is: חי (chai). Chai means life, as in l’chaim “to life,” or the tattoo on my foot which my dad insists is merely a smudge of dirt. According to the Maccabiah website, “This 18th Maccabiah, symbolizing maturity in life, is an expression of Maccabi World Union at its best, the meaning of its name, values and the history of the Maccabiah enterprise itself as the largest event and most significant social tradition of the Jewish People and the Zionist Movement in recent generations. Carrying such weighty messages, the Maccabiah represents pride in the living and unique saga of the Jewish People over thousands of years, despite the heavy pathos of so many tragic chapters we endured in the course of human history.”Last night, the girls and I went to the opening ceremony together. Having never been to any event like this, I started to get really excited. After eating a typical sporting event hot dog (not as good as Dodger Dogs) we took in the atmosphere. Next to me, sat an American couple from Philly supporting their son who in playing for the USA Soccer team. Behind me, sat a huge Brazilian family supporting what seemed like dozens of young boys from Team Brazil. In front of me, a family waved the Guatemalan flag. And all around me, the crowd held Israeli flags given in our goody bags for the events. The group even worked together to start the wave…I have a video!

Once the event started, it hit me what a BIG DEAL this would be! Opening speeches by Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, AND the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, performances by great Israeli artists, Shiri Maimon and Avraham Tal (who I’ve written about at Omanoot), and a huge parade of the delegations from each participating country. This year’s Macciabiah hosts about 7,000 athletes, of which 900 are from the USA…we are the largest representation this year! They also threw in that the USA had the largest number of Jews making aliyah since the last Maccabiah. Go USA! And the end of the parade, the Israeli team came out and the crowd went INSANE! No matter where you’re from, EVERYONE cheers for Team Israel! The relay to light the torch was an amazing sight: the girl who passed the torch to the final runner had recently been rescued from drowning in the Yarkon River (where I take Omer to the park when babysitting) and she came out of a coma only two months ago, now perfectly healthy! What a miracle! She passed the torch to American swimmer, Jason Lezak, who holds seven Olympic medals and will be participating in the Maccabiah swimming competitions! And where’s this nice, Jewish boy from??? IRVINE!!!
What a great experience! Thanks Brett, for such a wonderful opportunity!