The JCC Maccabi Games®—five days that can change the lives of Jewish teens 13 to 16 years old—have been doing just that for more than 30 years. During JCC Maccabi™, teens from communities around the globe are immersed in a sports and recreation program imbued with Jewish values and experiences. The goal of the JCC Maccabi Games® is to contribute to the maintenance and enrichment of Jewish identity in youth and to the development of democratic values and leadership through healthy competition and sportsmanship. The JCC Maccabi Games®, in partnership with its sister program JCC Maccabi ArtsFest®, is the largest annual gathering of Jewish teens in the world and has now influenced over 130,000 Jewish youth in North America and around the world.
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Samantha Cohen
Sam Cohen is a vice president for program and talent at JCC Association of North America and leads JCC Maccabi®, a signature program of JCC Association, and Virtual J, an online platform that offers JCC Movement live-streamed and on-demand content. Previously, Cohen was the associate executive director and director, respectively, of the 2013 and 2018 JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest® at the Merage JCC of Orange County, California. Originally from London, she received a master’s degree in human rights from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in politics and international relations from the University of Manchester. Sam is a member of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.
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Works with JCC Maccabi host community staff and lay leaders to put on the largest Jewish teen engagement program in the world. Manages the oversight of planning and continuity of the program across all hosts. Tracks best practices and helps host communities through the process from volunteer management to working with visiting delegations.
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