More Information

Related Resources

Akron JCC Maccabi Games

For the rest of the world, the sports event of August 2008 will be the Summer Olympic Games in Bejing, China. People in Akron, Ohio, however, won’t have to turn on the television to see international athletic competition.

From August 10-15, 2008, the Shaw JCC of Akron will host the JCC Maccabi Games, an annual international Olympic-style, athletic, cultural and social event that has united Jewish teens since 1982. The JCC Maccabi Games in Akron will include Jewish athletes ages 12-16 and draw more than 650 athletes, families and spectators to the city.

The Akron JCC Maccabi Games will include boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, golf, tennis and bowling, with track and field offered as secondary sports. Competition will be held at venues throughout the Akron area, with the hub of activity at the Shaw JCC, located at 750 White Pond Drive.

During the four days of competition, Maccabi teens will also have plenty of time to get to know one another, including athletes from as far away as Israel and Venezuela.

Although the JCC Maccabi Games are a chance for the kids to have fun and meet new people, there will also be a somber note. The opening ceremonies of every JCC Maccabi Games include a tribute to the eleven Israeli Olympians murdered at the 1972 Olympics in Munich . One of the murdered athletes, weightlifter David Berger, was a native of Shaker Heights.

The Games also strive to teach teens the value of tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase for “repairing the world.” The Day of Caring and Sharing, part of each JCC Maccabi Games, is a community service project that provides all of the athletes, visiting and local, a chance to give back to the host community.

The Shaw JCC is grateful to the communty supporters of the JCC Maccabi Games in Akron, including the City of Akron, Children's Hospital and the University of Akron.

To learn more about the JCC Maccabi Games at the Shaw JCC of Akron, please call Games Director Dave Rubens at 330-835-0036 or email him here.



Register NOW to Get in the Games!
We need you to get in the Games! Whether you're a volunteer, host family, donor, sponsor, athlete or coach, you will ensure the Games' success and be enriched by your involvement. Our guests in Akron will cherish the experience you'll help create, and the friendships you'll make will strengthen our community for years to come.

Even though the Games are still several months away, your fellow community members who are leading the Games need you to volunteer NOW! Please take a moment now to register online--and get in the Games! Need help? Check out the registration instructions at right, and call Melinda Stahr at 330-835-0063 if you have questions.


The World is Coming to Akron!
The Akron JCC Maccabi Games will welcome athletes from:

Baltimore
Boca Raton
Charleston
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Dayton
Durham/Chapel Hill
Greater Palm Beach
Greater Washington
Houston
Miami
Miami Beach
Milwaukee
Orlando
Osher Marin
Philadelphia
San Jose
Southern New Jersey
Toledo