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SCARSDALE, N.Y. – There will be a strong contingency of Scarsdale teenagers competing in the Jewish Community Center's Maccabi Games, a Jewish mini-Olympiad.
About 80 athletes from the JCC of Mid-Westchester are participating in three sets of games in Memphis, Tenn., Houston and Rockland County.
“We are delighted to be able to participate in all three locations this summer,” Director Steven Weisbrot said in a statement. “The JCC of Mid-Westchester always has had a large delegation and our athletes are looking forward to competing again this year.”
This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the Maccabi Games, which is the largest gathering of Jewish teenagers in North America. Nearly 3,500 athletes from around the globe will be competing in 15 events. The JCC of Mid-Westchester will have participants in soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, hockey and track.
According to the release, “the JCC Maccabi Games can be called the Olympics for Jewish teens, but they serve a larger purpose than athletic competition. The games promote community involvement, teamwork and pride in being Jewish.”
Outside of the athletic competition, each set of games features a volunteer program called JCC Cares, where the teens can join with community organizations to work on social-action projects. In the past, athletes have built homes for the poor, cleaned parks and packaged food for the hungry.
The Maccabi Games in Houston and Memphis began Sunday and will continue through the week. The Rockland County games are scheduled for Aug. 12-17.
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