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Opening Ceremonies - 18th Maccabiah Games (July/August 2009)

One by one, each group of athletes entered the full stadium, waving to the cheering crowds and to the television cameras. Some groups were small. There was one lone, brave athlete from Uruguay, six from Uzbekistan, four from Azerbaijan - small countries, with small Jewish populations. But somehow, they were there, proudly walking among the other participants. Other groups entering the stadium were huge, such as the hundreds from Australia and Canada, and the nearly 1000  people from the United States. There were athletes from every country in Western Europe, South and Central America, and most of Eastern Europe, including Russia. And of course, there were the athletes from Israel, last to enter, with over 1300 people marching together. Each group proudly carried the flags of their country, wearing clothes that represented their culture. The Australians bounced huge, inflatable kangaroos, the Americans chanted "USA! USA!" and a few athletes from the Netherlands did hand flips. Happiness and pride beamed from every face.

The 18th Maccabiah Games were officially underway. Being in Israel for the Opening Ceremonies, I was able to witness this modern day gathering of Jews from around the world, and I found myself overcome by the historical miracle that the Maccabiah represents.  Jewish athletes from around the world were marching together, cheering together, embracing together, in the third largest sporting event in the world. A few had been at the recent Olympics; others were hoping to participate in the next; some were there for the first time, while others were making their fourth or fifth journey. There were athletes from big countries, little countries, rich countries, and poor; athletes who had lots of sponsors, and those who had worked extra jobs just to be able to come. There were athletes who were braving persecution at home for even coming to Israel. Tennis players, soccer teams, gymnasts, swimmers, runners - all from different countries, different cultures, but joined together by the common bond of being part of the Jewish people.

Who could have foreseen, looking back at our history in European and Arab countries, that the Jewish people would be the group to hold one of the largest gatherings of athletes in the world? Since the 1930's, the Maccabiah games have been held in Israel every four years, with only a few exceptions. In the thirties, the image of the Jewish athlete was seen as a rare exception. Jews gathered for study, for science, for prayer - but for sport? At each succeeding Maccabiah through the years, more and more Jews came, from more and more countries. Many who came for the games stayed, escaping
persecution in their home countries. Others stayed for different reasons, having fallen in love with the country. But every four years the athletes came, despite hardships, despite anti-Semitism facing them at home, to the growing and constantly changing tiny Land of Israel. For over seventy years, Jewish athletes have been coming to play, to compete, and to make friends with other Jews from around the world. And it is these friendships that continue to bind the athletes together.

In the past, there have been other gatherings of Jews from around the world. But many were in response to tragedies suffered by the Jewish people, or to dangers that threatened Jewish life in various countries around the globe, including the continual threats to Israel. Other times, Jews would gather to commit themselves to social action and social justice projects, binding themselves together for worthy causes. But at the Maccabiah games, Jews are gathering not with sorrow or in response to danger; today in Israel, Jews are gathering with pride and joy, with the strength and training of athletes, eager to share their skills and talents, and eager to make connections with their fellow Jews from over 65 countries.

But amidst all of the joy, we note that there are still some athletes who are not able to come. The absence of Jews from Iran and Iraq, from Syria and Egypt, speaks to the need to continue to reach out and help the Jews who remain there. It is part of the dream of the Maccabiah that any Jewish athlete, from anywhere in the world, will be able to come and join this gathering.

And this dream is based on still an older one: the dream of Jewish independence, of the ability of the Jewish people to live freely, to gather together freely not in fear but in strength, and with vision of purpose. This was part of the dream of the Maccabees, for whom the Games are named.

After all the athletes entered the stadium, after all the speeches by the required politicians were finished, a flame entered the stadium. The flame was first lit in Modi'in, the home of the Maccabees in the north of Israel, and has been lovingly carried by athletes from the north to the stadium in Ramat Gan. The flame was passed to different young men and women, each with their own dramatic and compelling story. The representative of the athletes in wheelchairs took it next, and finally, it was passed to an American Olympic gold medal swimmer. As he lifted his arm to light the huge torch of the games, I could not help but think what Judah HaMaccabee would say to see such a sight.

Our own Andrew Lebovitz represented the United States in tennis at the 18th Maccabiah Games.