JCC Maccabi Is Back and We’re Going to Israel and Fort Lauderdale in 2023!
Nearly 3,000 young people expected to participate in strategically expanded platform
Following a two-year pandemic hiatus, JCC Maccabi®, a signature program of JCC Association of North America, will return this summer—just in time for its 40th anniversary—when the Lawrence Family JCC on the Jacobs Family Campus will host the Games from July 31 to August 5, 2022, in San Diego, California.
In 2023 JCC Maccabi Games will be held in both Israel and Fort Lauderdale. From July 5 to 25, more than 1,000 Jewish teens from JCCs around the world will experience the magic of JCC Maccabi in Israel. Here in North America, another 1,800 teens will participate in JCC Maccabi Games to be hosted by the David Posnack JCC in Fort Lauderdale from August 6 to 11, 2023.
The plans underway for the 2023 Games reflect JCC Association’s commitment to a new, multi-year strategy to unlock the full potential of JCC Maccabi as a transformative, Jewish identity- and community-building platform for teen engagement. Over time, the strategy will enable JCC Association to dramatically expand and deepen JCC Maccabi’s reach, influence, and impact on young people and the Jewish community.
Thanks to the generosity of a growing number of philanthropic partners who have committed more than $3.6 million toward a $5.2 million goal, JCC Association will offer a three-week Israel experience at a highly subsidized, all-inclusive rate of no more than $4,500 per athlete—approximately half the actual cost.
In addition, the Schusterman Family Philanthropies and an anonymous foundation have made generous funding commitments, as have Dana and Yossi Hollander, JCC Association board members who are dedicated to the JCC Movement and the growth of JCC Maccabi. We will, of course, be joined by JCC Maccabi’s continental sponsor, the Coca-Cola Company
In total, nearly 3,000 Jewish teen athletes, ages 12-17, who represent communities across the globe, will come together at the 2023 events in Israel and Fort Lauderdale 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.
Highlights of the three-week Israel program will include the week-long JCC Maccabi Games in Haifa, organized in partnership with Maccabi World Union, in addition to two weeks of touring, giving participants opportunities to experience the country’s extraordinary people, places, and history. They also will explore Israel through a sports lens, participate in volunteer service projects, and enjoy special events offered by JCC Association’s Center for Israel Engagement to celebrate and honor Israel@75.
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About JCC Association of North America
JCC Association of North America leads and connects the JCC Movement, advancing and enriching North American Jewish life. With 1.5 million weekly in-person and online visitors to more than 170 Jewish Community Centers and Jewish Community Camps (JCCs), including half a million friends and neighbors from beyond the Jewish community, the JCC Movement is the continent’s largest platform for both Jewish engagement and Jewish community relations. As the convening organization of this dynamic network, JCC Association partners with JCCs to bring together the collective power and knowledge of the entire JCC Movement, including 10,000 full-time and 18,000 part-time professionals, exclusive of seasonal professionals. By supporting them, together we enhance and strengthen Jewish life throughout North America. Learn more at JCCA.org or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About JCC Maccabi®
JCC Maccabi® a signature program of JCC Association of North America, 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. For 40 years, every summer since 1982, the JCC Movement has engaged more than 3,000 Jewish teens 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.
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