Thousands of Jewish athletes converge on Israel for 18th Maccabiah Games

Jewish athletes converge on Israel for Maccabiah

RAMAT GAN, Israel — Thousands of athletes paraded through a packed Israeli stadium Monday at the opening ceremony of the 18th Maccabiah Games, known as the Jewish Olympics, which bring together Jewish sportsmen from around the world.

Organizers say these games are the largest ever, with 5,300 international athletes taking part alongside some 2,000 from Israel.

The United States had the second-largest delegation, with over 900 athletes.

“It’s interesting to see so many people from different places coming together on one spot as a community,” said Josh Winters, 22, of Burbank, California, a player on the U.S. fast-pitch softball team.

His father, Dan Winters, 46, also a softball player, was back for the games after first participating in 1993. “I always said that if I could share this experience with my family I would, and now I can,” he said.

The Olympic-style ceremony saw the delegations march into the stadium behind their national flags. The festivities included hundreds of flamboyantly costumed dancers, singers, drummers and riders on lit-up bicycles. They also featured a children’s chorus, an orchestra and some of Israel’s top pop acts.

The ceremony was nationally televised, and the crowd included Israel’s top leadership.

“You represent 65 countries but more than anything you represent one special people — the people of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the crowd. He also urged the athletes to move to the Jewish state.

Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, then officially opened the games to applause and fireworks.

Held every four years, the first Maccabiah Games were in 1932. They are named for the Maccabees, a family of Jewish warriors who defeated foreign rulers and won independence in the 2nd century B.C.