While the global community was staring in fascination at the events of the Summer Olympics in Paris, young Jewish athletes from all over the world met in two US cities for the JCC Maccabi Games 2024.
This year, 129 Jewish teenagers from across Los Angeles traveled with the J Los Angeles (JLA) delegation to participate in the JCC Maccabi Games, held July 28-August 2 in Detroit and August 4-9 in Houston.
The Los Angeles teams have had big wins on and off the field.
In Houston, the Los Angeles delegation actually won a lot of medals: 14U boys basketball won gold; 16U boys basketball won silver; 14U baseball: silver; 16U girls basketball: bronze; 14U girls basketball: bronze; 16U girls volleyball: bronze; tennis: bronze; swimming: 7 gold, 5 silver.
“Since 2006, J Los Angeles has brought nearly 2,000 youth to the JCC Maccabi Games – it is a cornerstone program of the JLA and the JCC movement,” said JLA Executive Director Brian Green said. “The experience of competing and interacting with Jewish teenagers from around the world will leave a lasting impression on participants, and programs like the Maccabi Games ensure a strong Jewish future.”
Ari CohenDirector of Experiential Learning at J Los Angeles, led the Los Angeles delegation, accompanied by 22 volunteer coaches. They were joined by hundreds of families who traveled from as far away as Los Angeles to participate in the week-long experience, which includes Olympic sports competitions, opening and closing ceremonies, community service, and social and cultural events.
The members of the delegation from Los Angeles included Charley Meller16, a rising junior at Crossroads School who competed on the U16 girls volleyball team. This was Meller’s third Maccabi Games. Ultimately, the experience was not disappointing. Her team won “dirty gold” – also known as “bronze.”
In addition to her athletic achievements, Meller also got to meet members of the Houston Jewish community, including the parents and children of her host family. She also helped put together relief packages for children in Israel who lost their belongings due to the war in Gaza. The packages included notebooks and coloring pads. The experience, Meller said, “was very special.”
Matthew Mechanick16, a rising junior at Calabasas High School, traveled from Los Angeles to Houston to compete on the 16U Boys Baseball team. The pitcher and second baseman loves the Dodgers and was playing in his third Maccabi games.
Given the rise in anti-Semitism after Oct. 7, it was a unique and unforgettable feeling to be surrounded by so many Jewish teenagers at this year’s Games, he told the Journal.
“Even though I live in Calabasas — a huge Jewish community — the athletes that are there can relate to me. Here at home, I can’t talk about everything that’s happening in Israel, it makes me uncomfortable. There’s a lot of anti-Semitism right now and I don’t know if those people agree with me or not. But at the Maccabi Games, all those people can relate to me — everyone around me is so relatable,” he said. “It’s just so cool to see the whole Jewish community, literally from all over the world, at this one big (Maccabi) Games.”
Ultimately, Mechanik’s team lost to Greater Washington in a hard-fought bronze medal game, but that didn’t take away from the overall experience, he said. “It’s a lot of fun. Being surrounded by all my teammates, the sportsmanship, these games – it’s a great experience,” he said. “The atmosphere is incredible.”
A highlight for the athletes was the opening ceremony, when everyone spontaneously chanted “Bring them home,” a reference to the hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The spontaneous chants underscored the power of the gathering of thousands of Jewish youth who love and support Israel, Meller said.
“As a community,” she said, “we just felt stronger together.”
On August 17, hundreds of young Jewish professionals gathered for the “Summer White Party,” a Tu b’Av celebration organized by the Young Jewish Professionals of Los Angeles (YJP).
For more than a decade, YJP has connected Jews in their 20s and 30s through business, educational and social networking opportunities. The Summer White Party is one of the group’s most anticipated and well-attended events of the year.
