The Maccabiah Experience

An Experience of a Lifetime

The Maccabi Movement, named for Judah (The Hammer) Maccabee, was initiated in 1895 when the first all-Jewish Maccabi Gymnastics Club was formed in Constantinople. By the end of World War I, more than 100 Maccabi-style clubs existed in Europe. The first Maccabiah Games, featuring 14 countries and 390 athletes, was held in 1932. World events forced the delay of the third Maccabiah Games, scheduled for 1938, until 1950. The Maccabiah Games have been a quadrennial event since 1953. In 1989, motivated by the leadership and vision of Bob Spivak and Alan Sherman, MUSA introduced the concept of a pre-camp, which added cultural and educational programs to enhance and enrich the Maccabiah experience for Open and Juniors athletes. In 2009, the four-day Pre-camp program, now known as ISRAEL CONNECT, was extended to seven days and included visits to the Western Wall, Yad Vashem, Masada and other important historical and cultural sites, a Jewish Identity Seminar and the opportunity for all Team members to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. This experience helps to develop a sense of Jewish awareness and Jewish pride and creates a lifelong connection between the athletes and the State of Israel. Numerous athletes have described ISRAEL CONNECT, our signature program, as the highlight of their Maccabiah experience, and this program has become so successful that other countries now offer a similar program to their athletes.