Philadelphia, PA, June 8 – Maccabi USA hosted its Inaugural U.S. Table Tennis tournament on June 6 at the New Jersey Table Tennis Club in Westfield, NJ.  The tournament attracted over 50 participants, primarily from the Northeast Corridor and was directed by Larry Bavly who was the NBC on-line Table Tennis commentator during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The tournament was conceived by Joel Roodyn, a member of Executive Committee of the Maccabi USA Board of Directors and Maccabi USA Table Tennis athlete, to bring together Jewish Table Tennis athletes from across the country for a day of competition and to learn about exciting upcoming international Maccabi competitions.  Part of the day’s program included a special recognition ceremony for two-time World Table Tennis champion, Sol Schiff, who was a 1966 inductee to the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame. It was a competitive day for the athletes who ranged in age from 9 to 72.

The athletes competed in both singles and doubles competitions.  The winners include:

• Elite Singles                Tahl Leibovitz of Ozone Park, NY
• Class A Singles           Akiva Ackerman of West Hempstead, NY
• Class B Adult             David Safar of Livingston, NJ
• Class B Youth            Theodore Kirsch of Freehold, NJ
• Doubles                      Barry Dattel of Warren, NJ and Joel Roodyn of NewYork, NY

About the organization:

Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel (MUSA) has an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs.  The organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, the Pan American Maccabi Games and the Maccabi competitions in Europe and Australia, as well as a co-founder of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America.  As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.

MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities.  It strives to provide Jewish athletes the world over the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings.  MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish continuity, Zionism and excellence in sport.