About Us

 

The JCC Maccabi Games have been offering a life- and personality-shaping experience to Jewish teenagers’ ages 13-16 years old since 1982. At this Jewish Olympic style event, each athlete has the chance to participate in one of 14 sporting events, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

The JCC Maccabi Games can be called the Olympics for Jewish teens, but they serve a larger purpose than athletic competition. All of JCC of Chicago programs including the JCC Maccabi Games reflect our mission of Bringing Jewish Values to life. For our teen participants, this means teaching them they will have multiple opportunities during the Games to apply values like responsibility (achreiyut), cooperation (shalom bayit), and repairing our world (tikkun olam). We use the Games as a vehicle to instill a pride among our athletes in their Jewish identity while reminding them that the Games connects each of them to the world’s Jewish community including the State of Israel. JCC of Chicago has been a cooperating partner with the JCC Maccabi Games since its inception.

The Games are the largest Jewish teen event in the world – each summer over 6,000 Jewish teens participate in the Games. Over 100,000 teens have benefited from the JCC Maccabi Games through it’s history. The energy and excitement make it a unique and unforgettable experience for every participant, from athletes to volunteers, from coaches to Host families.