By Darryl Egnal
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem, Israel ---- July 15, 2009 ...... Maccabi is one of the best kept secrets in the world, says Rabbi Carlos Tapiero, deputy director-general of the Maccabi World Union. According to Tapiero, not many people know about all the different facets that make up the organisation, but there are about 400,000 members world-wide that participate in various ways, and not all of them are athletes.

“Maccabi is a living organization which brings people together from all over the world with different needs, young and old,” says Tapiero. “We have programmes for families, singles, children - different countries focus on different aspects of the Jewish experience, but the main thing is that the Maccabi World Union is working on strengthening Jewish life throughout the world."

“Maccabi is more than just sport,” he says. “Maccabi South Africa and Australia, for example, focus on sports, while Latin America encompasses Jewish learning and culture, theatre, dance and sport. There are various cultural festivals throughout the year and about 32,000 of the 100 000 Jews in Latin America are members of Maccabi. The Maccabi World Union even organised a trip to Israel for some of them to find their Sephardi roots.”

Maccabi World Union is a Jewish and Zionist movement providing extensive sports, educational, social and cultural activities based on the centrality of Israel in modern Jewish life. Led by democracy elected officials at all levels, Maccabi is open to Jews of all affiliations and is a general Zionist union with no allegiance to any political party viewpoint.

“The two most important ideals of Maccabi are Jewish continuity and Zionism. People have different opinions when asked what Zionism is to them,” says Tapiero. “Answers range from the centrality of the Jewish state to Aliyah. It’s a broad umbrella, but as long as they are supporters, they can participate.

“We’re a non-political, non-denominational organisation and we believe in the value of democracy. Maccabi has a Jewish heart and we believe in building relationships between Jews. The Maccabi World Union wants everyone to be part of the Maccabi experience worldwide.”

Part of the experience is education, an aspect that is essential for the organisation, and Tapiero has been tasked with promoting an education program that will reach hundreds of thousands of Jews around the globe. The Maccabi World Union has established an educational theme – “Generations of Jewish Excellence” – in co-operation with the Maccabi federations worldwide and the Education Division of the Maccabiah.

According to the promotional material, the Maccabi World Union Education Division wishes to convey to the Jewish athletes and to Israel society that “the current Jewish - Israel excellence that is present in all areas of endeavour and in sports in particular, stems from generations of Jewish excellence. And this has brought us to the most significant achievement of the Jewish people in the last 2000 years; the establishment of the State of Israel.

“Today, in a world which greatly values excellence, it is important to preserve and strengthen the power of the Jewish people in wide spheres that are nourished by these values – spirit, deep-thinking, sport, science and technology – in a spirit of tolerance, justness, fairness and peace.”

The education programme for the Israel population includes formal lessons in schools about the Maccabiah; visits to the Maccabi Museum; inclusion of Maccabiah questions in the National Quiz on Zionism; art contests; link-ups between schools in Israel and abroad; exhibitions and more.

Maccabiah participants of all ages have had an educational programme designed specifically for them based on Maccabi values and the Maccabi theme. There will be activities led by the society and youth authority and the IDF - Israel Defence Forces Education Corps; meetings between Israel youth and the Maccabiah athletes; a travelling exhibition with Maccabi Tzair (Young Maccabi); a short film and presentation on Maccabi past, present and future; trips and excursions; among other interesting events.

The Education Department of the Maccabiah seeks to instil a sense of belonging and commitment in the Maccabiah participant. The Maccabi World Union wishes to provide participants with a personal Jewish - Zionist experience, rich and significant and based on common Jewish values. “We hope this experience will make an indelible impression on your heart and that you will share this experience with your community in the Diaspora,” says the documentation.

The World Maccabiah Games are a quadrennial event that takes place in Israel. The 18th World Maccabiah Games, taking place July 12 – 23, 2009 are the world’s third largest international athletic competition.

As the world’s third largest sports event after the Olympics, the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel plays host to 3,000 junior Maccabiah athletes, aged 15 -18; 5,000 open athletes, 2,000 masters and Paralympics.
In addition to the visitors, Israel will itself be fielding a team of more than 2,000 athletes.

Sports for which competitors will be going for Gold include: artistic gymnastics, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, bridge, cricket, chess, fencing, golf, gymnastics, handball, half-marathon, field hockey, judo, karate, netball, lawn bowls, rowing, rugby, squash, soccer, softball, swimming, table-tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, track and field, ten-pin bowling, volleyball, water polo, wrestling and windsurfing.

The 18th Maccabiah Games is utilizing powerful Web 2.0 new media social networking to connect in real time with millions in Israel and worldwide. There are Twitter news channels: israelmaccabiah and maccabiah and two official Facebook groups.

In addition to Maccabiah.com, a new state of the art Web 2.0 Maccabiah Web site has been launched.

With very little money, limited resources and a highly dedicated staff, Maccabiah World Union organizers Eyal Tiberger, Amir Peled, Jeanne Futeran, Igal Carmi, Itamar Herman, Avinoam Caspi-Greenfield, Nirit Harel French and Tmira Shafran provided Israel and the world's Jewish community with an 18th Maccabiah that we shall remember and cherish for many years to come.

Maccabi is active in Jewish communities throughout the world. More than 400,000 Jews in 400 institutions in 60 countries over five continents are part of the Maccabi family.

Significantly, this is the 18th Maccabiah that has taken place since the first Maccabiah in 1923. In Hebrew numerology, Chai signifies the number 18 and is also the Hebrew word for “life”, adding a special meaning to these games for the organisers and the participants.

“Our biggest challenge is how to make this a significant and special experience for all participants to take back with them,” says Tapiero. “Maccabiah is the meeting of Jews from all over the world. There is an extraordinary feeling of belonging, of togetherness. People come here and get a feeling of being home. We’d like to ensure that everyone leaves here having had the experience of their lives.”

And if we could bottle that feeling and sell it, Maccabiah would never have to worry about sponsorship again.

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