MILWAUKEE — If you’re a local teen who likes sports or media, the JCC Maccabi Games could be for you.
The JCC Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style competition for Jewish teens ages 13 to 17, will take place this year in Toronto from Aug. 2-7. The Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Whitefish Bay is building a 12-teen delegation, up from eight last year and five the year before.
“It’s a very special thing,” said Charlie Glynn, recreation director at the JCC and head of the Wisconsin delegation. “The days are long — you’re up at 6 a.m. and not in bed until 11 p.m. — but they’re jam-packed.”
The Games bring together JCC delegations from across North America. Athletes compete in about 14 sports, including basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball, swimming, track, tennis, golf, dance, ice hockey and a “star reporter” media track for teens who prefer storytelling to scoring.
Mornings are devoted to competition. Afternoons shift to “hang time,” a hub where teens from different cities mingle over games, snacks, couches and video screens. Evenings feature large-scale events, including opening and closing ceremonies in major sports venues. Past host cities have used Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena and the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center. One “wild card night” took Wisconsin teens to a Pittsburgh Pirates game, where they were welcomed onto the field.
But Glynn said the Games are about more than what happens on a field.
“The sports are secondary,” he said. “It really encourages and celebrates a person’s Jewish personhood.”
Last year, Wisconsin welcomed two teens from Madison into the delegation, Sam Spector and Elijah Blitz. They told Glynn they had never seen so many Jewish peers in one place.
“It renews their Jewishness,” Glynn said. “You watch them make these connections in just five days, and at the end there are tears. They meet someone on Sunday, and by Friday they can’t imagine not seeing them again.”
Because Wisconsin’s delegation is relatively small, local teens benefit from a flexibility larger cities cannot always offer. There are no tryouts, and anyone within the age range from anywhere in Wisconsin can join as long as they participate through the JCC.
Larger delegations — in cities like Chicago or Toronto — can number in the hundreds and can’t offer everyone a spot, Glynn said.
Wisconsin athletes can compete either on full teams or as individuals placed on mixed teams with teens from several other delegations. “That can actually be a selling point,” Glynn said. “Instead of just being on a Milwaukee team, you might be playing with kids from Columbus, Vancouver and San Jose.”
The cost to participate is about $2,315, but Glynn is working to lower the burden for families in need through fundraising and scholarships. Events include a Chanukah night with the Milwaukee Admirals, candy sales tied to JCC youth basketball and a March Madness bracket fundraiser.
Glynn hopes to finalize the roster by late January or February to allow time for team-building and planning. Interested families can contact him by email or phone through the JCC or fill out an interest form on the organization’s website.
“It’s a life-changing week,” he said. “You don’t really know what it is until you experience it.”
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JCC Maccabi Games
For more information:
Jccmilwaukee.org
Charlie Glynn, cglynn@jccmilwaukee.org
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