Delayed by war, Maccabiah Games set to open as celebration of Jewish resilience

As the opening ceremony for the 22nd Maccabiah Games commences in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, the excitement will be about more than just athletics.

A year after the competition known as “the Jewish Olympics” was canceled by Israel’s first round of fighting with Iran, this year’s Maccabiah is being held under the slogan “More Than Ever” — a reflection of what organizers say is a sign of Jewish resilience.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say these games are the most meaningful in a generation,” said Marshall Einhorn, CEO of the US delegation to the games. “After everything that Israel and the global Jewish community have gone through since October 7, 2023, this will be the largest gathering of world Jewry since then, and it is going to be very special.”

Despite war fears continuing to simmer amid shaky ceasefires in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, about 5,000 athletes, including 2,000 Israelis and 900 from the US, will participate in more than 30 sports over two intense weeks starting July 1.

The competition will be complemented by a family sports festival in Tel Aviv and visits for athletes to the Western Wall and sites in the south attacked by Hamas on October 7.

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“I think we made the right decision to commit to doing this, no matter what,” Roy Hessing, CEO of the Maccabi World Union, told The Times of Israel. “People from all over the world are thanking us for not canceling again.”

There were many factors that could have derailed the Maccabiah Games for the second year in a row, and the competition will be about half the size of the 2022 games, the last time the Maccabiah was held.

Several countries withdrew their delegations after the US and Israel launched their military strike on Iran in February, fearful of security risks in a country that has faced numerous wars over the past three years. About 40% of the US delegation backed out after the war started, Einhorn noted. And some sports had to be canceled due to a lack of participants.

But for thousands of athletes who’d been looking forward to this moment for years, the start of the games represents a dream come true.

“I’ve endured extreme difficulties in training to take my game to the next level, and I’m grateful to finally be here,” said Maya Grinberg, a soccer player from California playing for the US’s under-17 (U17) team. “Now that we’re all here together in Israel, we have to show the world what the Jewish people can accomplish.”

‘More than ever’

The Maccabiah Games are a Zionist tradition that predates the establishment of the State of Israel, with the first one taking place in Tel Aviv in March 1932. Since 1957, the games have been held every four years, with the exception of the 2021 games, which were pushed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, some 8,000 Jews from 55 countries were set to compete in the “Jewish Olympics” until Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran three weeks before the opening event. With Israeli airspace virtually closed and no clear timetable for how the war would unfold, Maccabiah’s leadership had no choice but to announce that the competition would be held a year later with the “Same values. Same vision. Just a little more time.”

At the time, then-CEO of the Maccabi World Union Amir Gissin told The Times of Israel that the 2026 games would be “bigger than the Olympics,” with the hope that Israel’s wars with its neighbors would be over by then.

In 2022, the Maccabiah drew 10,000 athletes, making it second to only the Olympics in size, measured by number of participants. But due to geopolitical uncertainty, this year’s competition will have only half that number.

Still, organizers say the significance of the games has never been greater. The sold-out opening ceremony at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on Wednesday will include what organizers call “a breathtaking artistic and pyrotechnic spectacle,” along with performances by Israeli pop stars and appearances by former hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The Maccabiah flame will be lit jointly by Paralympic taekwondo champion Asaf Yasur and Olympic judo silver medalist Inbar Lanir.

For the first time, the games will also include a sports festival open to the public, running at Expo Tel Aviv from July 6 to July 10. Maccabiah City will seek to recreate the atmosphere of an Olympic Village with physical competitions, interactive fan zones, historical exhibitions and the chance to meet Jewish athletes.

Most of the competitions will take place in the center of the country, in gyms and sports centers in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Ramat Gan, among others, Hessing said. Gymnastics and track and field events will take place in Jerusalem, while others will be held in the north. All events and accommodations will be secured at the highest levels in coordination with the IDF, police, and the Shin Bet security service, Hessing noted.

All games are free and open to the public, though tickets must be purchased for the Maccabiah City expo. The full schedule can be seen at maccabiah.com.

Soccer is expected to be among the most hotly contested sports, particularly against the backdrop of the World Cup competition currently underway in North America, Einhorn noted. Expectations are also high for pickleball, a popular hybrid of tennis and ping-pong that will be played for the first time in the Maccabiah Games this year.

Alongside the games, day trips are being organized for participants to visit the south and meet with people attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in order to deepen awareness of the massacre there. A separate activity will bring participants to visit Jerusalem, with the opportunity for athletes to celebrate their bar or bat mitzvah at the Western Wall if they’ve never had one, Hessing said.

About 2,000 athletes under age 18 are set to compete in the Juniors competition, alongside 1,500 in the Open competition for other ages, and 1,500 in the Masters Competition for older athletes, Hessing said. A fourth division, the Paralympics, will include more than 100 athletes from Israel, including disabled IDF veterans, and a handful of competitors from abroad.

A theme song for the games, by Israeli rappers Nunu and Jimbo J, riffs on a Naomi Shemer song originally written for the Maccabiah in 1981.

Personal stories and challenges

Athletes at the games represent communities in every corner of global Jewish life. For some, playing on a global stage in the 2026 games is the reward for overcoming adversity off the field.

Maya Grinberg nearly didn’t make it to Israel. The U17 soccer player was working to boost her training two years ago when doctors found a debilitating condition. After her heart rate dropped into the 30s and her weight decreased rapidly, she was diagnosed with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a condition caused by taking in too few calories to fuel athletic performance, which can seriously impair long-term health.

“Last year, my doctor hadn’t even cleared me to play, but since I got out of the hospital, I’ve worked to relearn how to eat in a way that works for my body,” she said. “Now, I’m looking to use my platform to educate more girls about the importance of proper fueling and recovery.”

For others, like the oldest US delegate, 86-year-old Robert Sugarman, the competition is more of a celebration of life.

“This will be my fourth Maccabiah triathlon, and I bring a large group of children and grandchildren each time,” said Sugarman, a past chair of the Anti-Defamation League and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “It’s thrilling for me to be part of the US team and march in the opening ceremony. I’m not sure how many people will be in my age group this year, but I hope it will go well.”

Twin sisters Alexa and Tory Young will play for the US volleyball team after competing together on a Miami-based team that won the Juniors National Championship in 2025. For them, the trip represents a journey to their family’s history, with the pair visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum to see plaques honoring the righteous gentiles who hid their grandfather as an infant in Italy, and meeting distant relatives for the first time.

“It’s such an honor and so meaningful to be here and walk through Yad Vashem knowing our family history,” Tory said. “To finally be here in Israel, I feel very connected to my Jewish heritage.”

Einhorn, who has been preparing Team USA for these games since 2024, said the biggest reward is to finally see the games take off in the face of all the adversity facing the Jewish people in recent years.

“There has been a lot of buildup to these games, and people are thrilled to finally be here,” he said. “After everything the Jewish community has been through, bringing all these athletes together to get in touch with their Jewish identities and connect with Israel is an amazing thing.”