JCC Maccabi Games and ArtFest

The JCC Maccabi Games® are an Olympic-style sporting competition held each summer in North America and is the second largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world. The Maccabi Movement began in 1895 when the first all-Jewish sports club was formed in Constantinople. The first world Maccabiah Games were held in Israel in 1932. Now, this two week competition takes place every four years and has featured many world class Jewish athletes including: Mark Spitz (swimming), Mitch Gaylord (gymnastics), Ernie Grunfeld and Danny Schayes (basketball), Brad Gilbert and Dick Savitt (tennis).

The first North American JCC Maccabi Games® were held in 1982 with 300 athletes. Due to overwhelming interest, Regional Games were added in 1985 to augment the even-year Continental Games. 1997 marked the first time that the Games were held simultaneously in six American cities with 4,400 participating athletes. Since their inception in 1982, the Games have grown from a small pilot project in one host community to an Olympic-style sporting competition held each summer in multiple sites throughout North America.

Today, over 6,000 teens, ranging from 13 to 16 years of age, participate in the JCC Maccabi Games® each summer. The Games are co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Center Association of North America, Maccabi World Union, Maccabi Canada, and Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel.

JCC Maccabi ArtsFest is a week long summer arts experience for creative Jewish teens ages 13-17, featuring workshops in a variety of specialties with some of the leading artists in each field and incorporating community service, social activities, and themes of Jewish heritage, community, and Israel. The JCC Maccabi ArtsFest combined with the JCC Maccabi Games create one joint JCC Maccabi Experience, which gives our participants the opportunity to be a part of a larger Jewish teen community and allows us to offer them so much more.

This combined model offers our artists the opportunity to partake in intimate master classes during the day and party at the largest Jewish teen block party at night. All of the essential components of the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest are still included—master classes, final showcase, evening social programs, Jewish enrichment, and social components—but now our artists and athletes have the opportunity to socialize with thousands of other Jewish teens each summer, making the JCC Maccabi Experience one that will last a lifetime.

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