'This year’s Maccabiah Games will be the largest gathering of Jews to Israel post-October 7'

Michael Siegal, president of Maccabi World Union, told attendees at the Gala event on Monday evening launching the 2024 Jerusalem Post Summit in Miami that Maccabi World Union plans to run a full slate of events at the upcoming Maccabiah Games to be held this summer in Israel, despite the difficulties in Israel surrounding the Swords of Iron War.

“We’re not naïve to the challenge,” he shared, noting that it will be the largest gathering of Jews coming to Israel since the outbreak of the war. Siegal said that the organization will be opening a type of “Olympic Village” during the games, complete with a sports complex, to attract Israeli citizens to visit and experience the Games. “We want to do something that hasn’t been done for a long time,” he added. “We want to bring not just the resiliency and the strength, but we also want to bring joy, which hasn’t happened enough in Israel. We want to have a joyful experience, not just for the athletes and their families and their support groups, but for the entire country of Israel to experience the joy of competition, fair play, and just having fun. We want to make sure that these games reach all sectors of Israeli society.”

Siegal, who previously chaired the Jewish Agency, the Jewish Federations of North America, and Israel Bonds, pointed out that Maccabi World Union, with 450,000 members in 72 countries worldwide, is more than an organization. “We are a movement designed for both Jewish strength and for Jewish continuity. What’s unique about us is the fact that we have that we have what every organization is looking for – young people and people who are otherwise disconnected from the Jewish community.” Eighty percent of Maccabiah Games participants are under age 35, and 60% of the participants have no connection to the Jewish community other than the sport in which they are participating at the Games. “If we can figure out what to do to keep them engaged after their Maccabiah experience, we’ll have a better, more resilient, and more connected Jewish community,” he concluded.

 Maccabi World Union sponsored a portion of the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit.