Maccabi USA is sending its largest ever delegation to the Pan American Maccabi Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nearly 650 team members will be joined by an additional 650 family members and supporters in an expression of Jewish strength and pride on a global stage. Maccabi USA is especially proud and excited that an Israeli delegation will be attending the Games, many with a direct personal connection to the 10/7 tragedy and ongoing response. Maccabi USA is arranging special opportunities for its athletes to spend time with these Israeli counterparts, to hear their stories, understand how life has been impacted in Israel, and to be inspired by their strength and courage. Through their testimony each of us has the opportunity to carry forward the story of this important time for our people. This is, at its core, the most powerful part of Maccabi events—the gathering of the Jewish People, through a shared passion for sports, to build personal connections with members of the Global and Israeli Jewish communities, to grow the shared history of our People, and to enhance each individual’s Jewish Identity and sense of pride in being Jewish.
In this difficult time of increasing antisemtic acts at home in America and while the war continues in our Homeland of Israel, the importance of gathering as a People increases. In this moment each and every Jew feels their Jewish identity front and center. Regardless of how an individual previously framed their Judaism, whether strictly observant, “culturally Jewish”, or completely agnostic, the current events have, either through personal choice or outside factors, resulted in all of us considering what it means to be Jewish. The realization that no matter how we think of ourselves, to many non-Jews we will always be identified and judged as Jewish is inescapable. Therefore, the Jewish People can and should use this as a chance to come together, to grow stronger as a community, and when the current events pass, be more united as a People and more connected to our Homeland.
In this light, these Pan American Maccabi Games are an important part of building a diverse and vibrant future Jewish world. Please follow along through the Maccabi Media team, social media, and the stories of the participants as they build Jewish identity and Jewish Pride through Sports.
For more information please visit https://maccabiusa.com/maccabi-media-panam-2023-landing-page/.
