This summer, thousands of Jewish teens from 90 communities across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Israel will gather in Tucson, Ariz., and Pittsburgh, Pa., for the 43rd annual JCC Maccabi Games®—the largest Jewish youth sports event in the world. A flagship program of JCC Association of North America, the 2025 Games will introduce groundbreaking models and timely initiatives—including the inaugural JCC Maccabi Campus Games and expanded inclusion through JCC Maccabi Access—further cementing the Games’ role as a leading force in Jewish teen engagement, community-building, and as one of the greatest Jewish peoplehood building projects of our time.
“Gathering in celebration with more than 3,000 Jewish teens and coaches, and thousands more spectators, volunteers, and community members at the JCC Maccabi Games this summer is a powerful testament to the vitality of Jewish life—and the resilience of the Jewish people,” said Samantha Cohen, senior vice president and continental director of JCC Maccabi. “The launch of our first-ever Campus Games marks a bold and timely evolution for the movement—showing Jewish teens what’s possible when they come together with pride, purpose, and shared identity for a positive college campus-based experience. Today, when Jewish connection and unity are more important than ever, JCC Maccabi gives teens a joyful, formative experience that will stay with them for life.”
“JCC Maccabi is much more than a sports event—it’s a powerful and transformative Jewish experience that brings the Jewish community together in the most inspiring and unifying way,” said Barak Hermann, president and CEO of JCC Association. “This summer, in both Tucson and Pittsburgh, we will witness the strength of Jewish connection as 3,000 teen athletes, more than 400 coaches, and a community of over 7,000 come together to celebrate pride, unity, and Jewish joy through the unforgettable experience of the Games. As one of the most significant touchpoints for Jewish teen engagement across the continent, JCC Maccabi ignites identity, belonging, and leadership in our teens, coaches, and volunteers—and reminds us of the power of community.”
In Tucson, from July 27 to August 1, the JCC Maccabi Games and Access will mark several major milestones, including the 25th anniversary of Tucson’s inaugural hosting of the Games and the 70th anniversary of the Tucson JCC itself. These Games will also spotlight the now-permanent integration of JCC Maccabi Access—a program for Jewish teens and young adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities—into the JCC Maccabi program. First piloted in 2021, Access has become a core part of the JCC Maccabi movement, providing meaningful, inclusive opportunities that enrich the experience for all participants. Tucson, a founding leader of Access, will welcome nearly 25 Access athletes from 10 communities this summer, including from Israel.
“For decades, the J has stood as a pillar of the Tucson community, creating a vibrant and welcoming Jewish environment that encourages people to lead engaged lives of meaning and purpose,” shares Tucson JCC president and CEO Todd Rockoff. “Hosting the JCC Maccabi Games and Access embodies our enduring commitment to Jewish values and community-building, while providing an extraordinary opportunity to engage with Jewish teens—the very foundation and future of Jewish continuity.”
For the first time ever, JCC Maccabi will introduce the JCC Maccabi Campus Games, a bold new model launching in Pittsburgh from August 3–8, in partnership with the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh. This pilot initiative reimagines the Games within a vibrant university setting, where more than 2,000 Jewish teens and coaches will live, eat, and compete in an “Olympic Village”-style atmosphere. With dormitory housing and immersive, on-campus experiences, in partnership with University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Hillel International, Chabad on Campus, AEPHi and others, the Campus Games introduce athletes to college life and Jewish life on campus. The model is designed both to accommodate the growing demand for participation and provide teens with a powerful entry point to Jewish identity and campus community as they look ahead to higher education.
The Campus Games also carry deep relevance in today’s environment. By responding to the rise in antisemitism on college campuses, they offer a visible, proud, and unifying Jewish presence in a collegiate setting. By convening Jewish teens on a major university campus, the Games make a bold statement about belonging and visibility—and provide a platform for universities to demonstrate their commitment to Jewish inclusion and allyship. The Campus Games will also partner with Hillel to help parents explore how JCC Maccabi can serve as a bridge to vibrant Jewish life on campus and connect them with experts on preparing their families for their upcoming college journeys.
“The JCC Maccabi mission complements our movement’s continental approach to teen engagement, offering Jewish youth a supportive environment that fosters mutual respect and healthy competition and where they can interact in an atmosphere of sportsmanship, peoplehood, and celebration. We couldn’t imagine better community partners than our friends at the University of Pittsburgh and a collection of regional civic, corporate and government leaders working together with our remarkable Jewish community to make this dream a reality,” Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Jason Kunzman noted.
Special guests at the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games include celebrated American-Israeli basketball player Tamir Goodman; Israeli judo champion and Olympic medalist Or Sasson; and French-Israeli UFC fighter Natan Levy—all of whom will lead educational athletic workshops. The Games will also feature a performance by DJ Artifex, a survivor of and performer at the Nova Music Festival. These distinguished guests will bring inspiration, energy, and powerful stories to share with teen athletes and the JCC Maccabi community.
In addition to athletics, both host cities will feature hallmark JCC Maccabi events, including dynamic opening and closing ceremonies; HangTime programming, where participants connect with fellow athletes through informal activities and learn about Israel and other aspects of Jewish life and history; the Yellow Ribbon Medal Campaign, which dedicates special medals to the hostages who remain in Gaza and an opportunity for participants to amplify the ‘bring them home now’ campaign; and more. Athletes will also take part in JCC Cares, the service arm of the JCC Maccabi experience that brings to life the value of tikkun olam (repair of the world). Program partners for JCC Cares include Diamond Children’s Medical Center, Youth On Their Own, and Ben’s Bells in Tucson, and Reading is Fundamental and Repair the World in Pittsburgh.
The recent success of JCC Maccabi has been fueled by unprecedented investment from a growing number of donors who recognize the profound impact the Games have on young participants, their families, and entire communities. This collective commitment has driven more than $8 million in funding toward the $18-million strategic expansion goal of JCC Maccabi, with support from significant continental partners. Among them are The Marcus Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Samueli Foundation, Samuels Foundation, Seed the Dream Foundation, David and Sharon Wax, Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs, Irv and Nancy Chase, and others.
Thanks to the generous support of the Seed the Dream Foundation, this year’s JCC Maccabi Games will welcome the largest-ever delegation of Israeli participants, with 100 teen athletes and coaches traveling from communities across Israel. This includes teens and adult chaperones from the Gaza envelope and northern Israel who were directly impacted by or displaced following the October 7th attacks. In addition, athletes representing Bat Yam, Ramat Gan, and Kiryat Ono—areas recently affected by Iranian missile strikes—will participate in the Games. Several North American JCC delegations will also be proudly integrating members of their Israeli sister communities, underscoring the Games’ powerful spirit of unity and global Jewish connection.
For over four decades, JCC Maccabi has served as a life-changing, Olympic-style sports and Jewish identity-building experience for a total of more than half a million participants. Each year, 3,000 teens take part—more than 60% of whom have no other connection to Jewish life. Through spirited competition, meaningful mifgash (encounters) with international peers, cultural celebration, and values-driven service projects, the Games transform Jewish pride into action and belonging.
As previously announced, in 2026, the Games will return to Kansas City and Toronto. As these two deeply involved communities prepare to host the 44th annual JCC Maccabi Games, they underscore the movement’s continued growth and its enduring power to unite.
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About JCC Association of North America
JCC Association of North America leads the JCC Movement, the most expansive and inclusive platform for Jewish life in the U.S. and Canada, which comprises more than 170 Jewish Community Centers and Jewish Community Camps (JCCs). By virtue of its size and scope—serving more than 1.5 million people weekly, in person, and online—and with guidance and support from JCC Association, the JCC Movement dynamically influences efforts to create Jewish community, vibrant Jewish life, and intentional and measurable Jewish outcomes in local communities and across the continent. Learn more at JCCA.org or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Please note that JCC Association of North America should not be referred to as JCCA or the JCC Association but initially as JCC Association of North America and as JCC Association in subsequent references.
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 over 40 years, the JCC Movement has engaged more than 3,000 Jewish teen athletes, 600 coaches and delegation heads, and an additional 12,000+ family members, spectators, and volunteers annually through the Olympic-style sports competition 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 for engagement, support of their Jewish identity, and a lasting impact on their lives.
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