Maccabi USA connects young athletes with Judaism, Israel
"Obviously, a win would be really good... but I kind of just want to feel the Jewish community."
When 17-year-old basketball guard Trey Schachter takes the court at the end of the month, it won’t be at his usual stomping grounds at Taylor Allderdice High School: He’ll be competing alongside other Jewish athletes in London at the European Maccabi Youth Games.
The competition is one of many held by Maccabi USA, a nonprofit that aims to build Jewish pride and connection to Israel through sports. The weeklong European Maccabi Youth Games has a round-robin tournament for basketball, one of many sports in the competition, and will break for Shabbat. The games begin on July 30 and conclude on Aug. 5.
Trey Schachter’s father, Joshua, played in the 2003 Pan American Maccabi Games and the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel and helped organize past teams.
“You connect with other Jewish athletes, not only in this country, but around the world,” Joshua Schachter said. “It brings Jews together, brings them to Israel, which is very important and more now than ever its mission is needed in the world.”
His father’s involvement inspired Trey Schachter to try out for Maccabi. Trey Schachter and his brother Zane both competed in the 2023 JCC Maccabi Games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for Team Pittsburgh, earning a silver medal. Zane Schachter will compete in the 2024 JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit this year.
“It’s, like, cool that my dad played, and I kind of can follow his footsteps, and then my brother can play, and then whenever I have kids, then they can play,” he said. “It can be, like, a tradition.”
Trey Schachter was quick to answer the question of whether it was daunting to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“No,” he said. “I want to be better than him.”
That competitive streak is evident in Trey Schachter’s success at the sport. He has played travel basketball with All Ohio Red, a team with the Amateur Athletic Union, since last year. He’s earned several Division I offers from colleges and plans to accept one after he graduates next year.
While he dreams of competing in the NBA, he isn’t sure yet if he wants to move away from his family to compete overseas.
“It’s not necessarily about how good of a basketball player you can be today. It’s how hard you’re willing to work to get there,” Joshua Schachter said of his sons’ successes. “I’m proud that they are working hard at this point, and they have goals, and they’re trying to achieve their goals. I think that’s a life lesson that I’m pretty excited about for both.”
And Trey Schachter is no stranger to putting in the effort. He begins his days with a two-hour workout, lifting weights afterward, and ends the day with a shootaround.
That routine has instilled him with a sense of confidence going into the games. He said he isn’t immune to nerves, but it’s usually from excitement. Before each game, he visualizes the ball going into the hoop.
But the Maccabi Games will be different for Trey Schachter. He said he rarely meets other Jewish athletes at his games.
“My AAU team, there’s no one else Jewish on my team, so when I go to Maccabi, I think it’d be really fun playing with kids that I have something in common with besides just basketball,” he said.
Trey Schachter won’t be the only Pittsburgher competing in the European Youth Games this year.
Balk and Smuckler both previously played in the JCC Maccabi Games in Florida and are excited to play in London.
“I want to, like, meet new people and, obviously, see the Jewish community in other countries,” Smuckler said. “Obviously, a win would be really good, right, but I kind of just want to feel the Jewish community. Sometimes, it’s hard to feel that because we’re a bit disconnected.”
“I’ve watched some of the recordings of a bunch of the games, and you can see there’s a pretty big atmosphere there,” Balk said. “I’m definitely a little nervous because I’ve never played futsal at this high of a level. I’m mostly just a soccer player, but I’m definitely excited for the challenge.”
Trey Schachter captured the overarching goal of all the athletes with a simple sentiment: “I want to win. I want to make some new friends that are also Jewish.” PJC
Abigail Hakas is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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