As the opening ceremony for the 22nd Maccabiah Games commences in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, the excitement will be about more than just athletics.

A year after the competition known as “the Jewish Olympics” was canceled by Israel’s first round of fighting with Iran, this year’s Maccabiah is being held under the slogan “More Than Ever” — a reflection of what organizers say is a sign of Jewish resilience.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say these games are the most meaningful in a generation,” said Marshall Einhorn, CEO of the US delegation to the games. “After everything that Israel and the global Jewish community have gone through since October 7, 2023, this will be the largest gathering of world Jewry since then, and it is going to be very special.”

Despite war fears continuing to simmer amid shaky ceasefires in Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, about 5,000 athletes, including 2,000 Israelis and 900 from the US, will participate in more than 30 sports over two intense weeks starting July 1.

The competition will be complemented by a family sports festival in Tel Aviv and visits for athletes to the Western Wall and sites in the south attacked by Hamas on October 7.

“I think we made the right decision to commit to doing this, no matter what,” Roy Hessing, CEO of the Maccabi World Union, told The Times of Israel. “People from all over the world are thanking us for not canceling again.”

There were many factors that could have derailed the Maccabiah Games for the second year in a row, and the competition will be about half the size of the 2022 games, the last time the Maccabiah was held.

Several countries withdrew their delegations after the US and Israel launched their military strike on Iran in February, fearful of security risks in a country that has faced numerous wars over the past three years. About 40% of the US delegation backed out after the war started, Einhorn noted. And some sports had to be canceled due to a lack of participants.

But for thousands of athletes who’d been looking forward to this moment for years, the start of the games represents a dream come true.

“I’ve endured extreme difficulties in training to take my game to the next level, and I’m grateful to finally be here,” said Maya Grinberg, a soccer player from California playing for the US’s under-17 (U17) team. “Now that we’re all here together in Israel, we have to show the world what the Jewish people can accomplish.”

The Maccabiah Games are a Zionist tradition that predates the establishment of the State of Israel, with the first one taking place in Tel Aviv in March 1932. Since 1957, the games have been held every four years, with the exception of the 2021 games, which were pushed to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, some 8,000 Jews from 55........

© The Times of Israel