With new Maccabi Campus Games coming to Pittsburgh, JCC issues ‘call to action’
For teens and adults alike, being part of these games means contributing to the 'very foundation of identity'
Inside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh excitement is brewing because, in less than seven months, the organization will host the Maccabi Campus Games, a new project by the JCC Association of North America.
Similar to other Maccabi Games, which are Olympic-style sporting events, the Campus Games will enable 1,800 teenage athletes to compete, coalesce and experience Jewish engagement while living at the University of Pittsburgh.
Jason Kunzman, president and CEO of Pittsburgh’s JCC, said a dedicated team of staff and volunteers is ensuring that everything is “coming to fruition.”
Weeks ago, a kickoff event at the JCC in Squirrel Hill welcomed nearly 150 Maccabi supporters. The event, which featured a Pittsburgh Steelers watch party, recognition of longtime Maccabi partners and a meetup of former athletes, was the first of several local get-togethers aimed at boosting interest in the upcoming games, according to Rachael Speck, chief program and innovation officer at the Pittsburgh JCC.
Throughout January and February, Speck and other JCC staffers are slated to visit Fox Chapel, the South Hills, the North Side and Squirrel Hill — as well as host virtual programming — to recruit athletes and volunteers for the Aug. 3-8 competition.
“We officially kicked off on Dec. 15 and already have 34 athletes registered,” she said. “We have a goal of 100.”
Competing in the games requires meeting several criteria. Athletes must be between the ages of 13 and 17, and they must be Jewish, which organizers define as “having a Jewish parent and being raised Jewish, or being a Jew by choice and being raised Jewish.” They also must be part of a delegation and complete necessary forms.
Hello helpers
The games are expected to bring 1,800 Jewish athletes, 400 coaches and thousands of fans.
In order to meet the demands, Kunzman said, the JCC needs about 1,000 volunteers.
“This is a very volunteer-driven program,” Speck said. “It doesn’t matter if you have an hour in the morning, two hours in the middle of the afternoon or the entire week available. We’ve got something for everybody who’s interested.”
In recent weeks, the JCC has recruited more than 100 volunteers.
Dayna Greenfield, a former Pittsburgh Allderdice High School phenom and 2017 inductee into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania, has signed up as a basketball coach.
“It’s nice to give back to a community who helped me become who I am,” she said.
Greenfield participated in the Maccabi Games for four years as an athlete and another five as a coach.
“Volunteering for this is a great way for the community to support a totally Jewish competition,” she said. “Especially this year, where everyone will be together in Oakland. Jewish athletes don’t always get these chances.”
Speck and members of the steering committee are pounding the pavement in search of more helpers.
“We’ve got opportunities for everybody, 18 years old and older,” she said. “This is a really special, unique, impactful experience.”
Data supports Speck’s assertion.
According to JCCA, 69% of athletes reported no other engagement in Jewish teen organizations prior to Maccabi.
The figure, Speck said, is a reminder of the games’ importance, as the majority of these young people don’t attend Jewish day schools, Jewish camps or religious schools. And though participation in the games only lasts “a few days,” Speck continued, “it is an immersive experience, and research shows that immersive experiences are the ones that are the most impactful.”
Former athletes described the games with overwhelming positivity and noted a willingness to continue participating in Jewish life.
Following the games, 92% of athletes reported enjoyment at being a part of a program “just for Jewish teens”; 87% of athletes felt connected to the Jewish community; and 65% expressed an interest in visiting Israel, according to JCCA.
Before, during and following the Campus Games, Dean Aseef will manage much of the Israel education. The 23-year-old Haifa resident is slated to arrive in Pittsburgh later this month and spend a year promoting the Jewish state.
Kunzman and Speck credited the Jewish Agency and Maccabi World Union with providing Pittsburgh a shaliach (emissary) to help increase interest in the games and offer Israel engagement.
Get into it
For both teens and adults, there are numerous ways to get involved, Speck said.
Competing and volunteering are one mechanism. Donating is another.
The games are slated to cost about $3.2 million. Rental fees in Oakland, transportation, food and security each represent significant line items, according to Kunzman.
Opening and closing ceremonies, activities between competitions — including social and cultural programming — and entertainment also contribute to the event’s cost, as do scholarships.
“We want to offer this experience to as many teens as possible, regardless of need,” Speck said.
Athletics, and in particular the Campus Games, can bring together Jewish teens from various walks of life. More than 50 delegations of athletes — representing communities from across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Israel — are expected to participate.
“We have an opportunity, given our recent history, to make a very powerful statement,” Kunzman said. “This is a town, this is a region, that embraces all people. We are inclusive. We are neighbors, and the Maccabi Games are the most explicit demonstration of Jewish peoplehood that there is. Working in partnership with folks like the University of Pittsburgh clearly demonstrates what is in the DNA of this town.”
“The University of Pittsburgh looks forward to welcoming the athletes and their families in support of the Games’ mission to transform lives through competition, friendship, community service and social and cultural engagement,” Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel said in a prepared statement.
With merely seven months remaining until the Games begin, this is a “call to action,” Speck said. “Get involved. If you are a teen or a parent of a teen, inquire about participating. Or if not, volunteer or donate.”
“We are well on our way of meeting our goal,” Kunzman said, but added there are still many ways to contribute to this historic experience.
Pittsburgh has long prided itself on being a leader in medicine, technology and education. And, in the 28 years since this city last hosted the Maccabi Games, the region has made advancements in each of those fronts, Kunzman noted. Now that another innovation is coming and the games are transitioning to a campus-based experience, “We have the opportunity to be innovative in this very unique opportunity to build community and help teens connect with their own people.”
“Teens are literally coming from all over the world,” Speck said. What they’ll see is a Pittsburgh Jewish community that’s not only sports-centric but predicated on “unity, resilience and healing.”
Ultimately, both for teens and adults alike, being part of these games means contributing to the “very foundation of identity,” Kunzman said. It’s about helping people create more meaningful connections with their Judaism “in whatever form that takes.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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