An annual Olympic-style competition for teens
About JCC Maccabi
JCC Maccabi is one of the continent’s preeminent Jewish youth-serving and community-building platforms and is crucial in inspiring Jewish identity-building, strengthening communal connections, and serving as a key leadership development pipeline. Since 1982, each summer, the JCC Movement has engaged more than 3,000 Jewish teens from across the globe and an additional 11,000+ family members, spectators, and volunteers through the Olympic-style magic of JCC Maccabi, one of the greatest Jewish peoplehood projects of our time.
For the majority of JCC Maccabi athletes, 63% of whom report being otherwise unaffiliated with any other Jewish youth organization, JCC Maccabi remains their primary connection to the Jewish community, global Jewish life, and Israel—creating a remarkable and unmatched opportunity to engage them, support their efforts to build their Jewish identity, and have a significant and lasting impact on their lives.
Thousands of Jewish teen athletes, ages 12-17, and coaches/chaperones who represent communities across the globe, will come together at the 2024 events in Israel, Detroit, and Houston to experience the magic of JCC Maccabi, the world’s largest Jewish youth sports event. This unique, Olympic-style Jewish experience will include sports competitions, opening and closing ceremonies, travel, community service; “Hang Time” for Jewish and Israel programming, social and cultural events, and opportunities to create Jewish connections, friendships, and memories to last a lifetime.
It is the SJCC’s goal to bring one to three basketball teams to Detroit, Mich., for the Maccabi Games there on July 28 – August 2 to represent Team Seattle.
The Maccabi Experience:
Maccabi is an Olympic-style annual Jewish sport program with over 3000 Jewish teens and coaches known for building Jewish pride and community through sport. There are over 70 delegations across North America, Israel, and the globe! Includes Israel/Jewish engagement such as hangtime, JCC Cares, Midot/values, cultural/social events, and global participation as well as lifelong friendships/connections and Jewish memories.
JCC Maccabi Impact Data:
- 69% of athletes were not engaged in another Jewish teen organization prior to Maccabi
- 51% of athletes experienced their first time in Israel through Maccabi
- 30% of the athletes were female, 70% were male
- 40% of the athletes were JCC members, 60% of the athletes were not
- 20% of the athletes went to day school
- 23% of the athletes went to a Jewish camp
