While the world was riveted by events at the Paris Summer Olympics, young Jewish athletes from around the world were gathering in two U.S. cities for the 2024 JCC Maccabi Games.
This year, 129 Jewish youth from throughout the Los Angeles area participated with the JLA delegation at the JCC Maccabi Games, held July 28-August 2 in Detroit and August 4-9 in Houston.
The Los Angeles team had some big wins on and off the field.
In fact, in Houston, the Los Angeles contingent won a number of medals: a gold medal in 14U boys basketball, a silver medal in 16U boys basketball, a silver medal in 14U baseball, a bronze medal in 16U girls basketball, a bronze medal in 14U girls basketball, a bronze medal in 16U girls volleyball, a bronze medal in tennis, seven gold medals and five silver medals in swimming.
“Since 2006, JLA has brought approximately 2,000 young people to the JCC Maccabi Games, which is a cornerstone program of the JLA and JCC movement,” said the JLA executive director. Brian Greene “The experience of competing and interacting with Jewish youth from around the world will have a lasting impact on participants, and programs like the Maccabi Games will ensure a strong future for the Jewish people.”
Ari CohenJ.D., Los Angeles’ director of experiential learning, led the Los Angeles delegation, assisted by 22 volunteer coaches, while they were joined by hundreds of spectators with families traveling from Los Angeles for a week-long experience that included Olympic-style sports competitions, opening and closing ceremonies, community service activities, and social and cultural events.
Members of the Los Angeles delegation include Charlie MellorThe 16-year-old, junior at Crossroads School, competed on the under-16 girls volleyball team. This was Mellor’s third time competing at the Maccabi Games. Ultimately, the experience did not disappoint, as her team won the “Tarnished Gold Medal,” also known as the “Bronze Medal.”
In addition to competing in track and field, Mellor also spent time getting to know members of Houston’s Jewish community, including her host family and their children. She also helped put together care packages for Israeli children who had lost possessions in the war in Gaza, including notebooks and coloring books. Mellor said the experience “felt very special.”
Matthew MechanicThe 16-year-old, who will be a senior at Calabasas High School, traveled from Los Angeles to Houston to play for the 16U boys baseball team. The pitcher and second baseman loves the Dodgers and this was his third time attending a Maccabi game.
Being surrounded by so many young Jewish people at this year’s Olympics was a special and memorable experience, he told The Wall Street Journal, given the rise in anti-Semitism following the Oct. 7 attacks.
“I live in Calabasas and it’s a big Jewish community there. Being there, I’m surrounded by the players and I can relate. Here in Israel, I can’t talk about everything that’s going on in Israel because I feel uncomfortable. There’s a lot of anti-Semitism right now and I don’t know if the players agree with me. But at the Maccabi Games, everyone can relate. Everyone around me can relate,” he said. “It’s really cool to see the whole Jewish community, literally from all over the world, come together for this big tournament. [Maccabi] “game”
Ultimately, Mechanic’s team lost a hard-fought match against Greater Washington for the bronze medal, but he said it didn’t take away from his overall experience. “It was a lot of fun, I was surrounded by all my teammates, and the sportsmanship was amazing and these games were a great experience,” he said. “The atmosphere was awesome.”
One highlight for the athletes was when they spontaneously chanted “Bring them home” during the opening ceremony, a reference to the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The impromptu chant strengthened the unity of thousands of young Jews who love and support Israel, Meller said.
“I felt that as a community, we are stronger together,” she said.
On August 17, hundreds of young Jewish professionals gathered for the Tu Bav celebration, the Summer White Party, hosted by Young Jewish Professionals (YJP) of Los Angeles.
For more than a decade, YJP has been connecting Jews in their 20s and 30s through business, educational and social networking opportunities, and the “Summer White Party” is one of the group’s most anticipated and best-attended annual events.
