The signature sporting event for Jewish athletes around the world is being postponed a year.
The Maccabiah Games, held every four years, will now be staged in 2026 instead of this summer due to the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Known commonly as the “Jewish Olympics,” the Maccabiah Games bring together Jewish and Israeli athletes from countries around the world for a sporting event held throughout Israel.
It is the second-largest international multi-sport event.
This year’s event was supposed to officially start on July 8, with preliminary events scheduled earlier in July. Roughly 10,000 athletes from 80 countries were expected to participate.
“Despite our strong desire to hold the Maccabiah in the summer of 2025 as a symbol of hope, we are forced to postpone it due to the complex security situation created by the attack on Iran, the instructions of the Home Front Command, the continued suspension of flights to Israel, and the necessary security measures required of all of us,” Maccabiah’s chair, Assaf Goren, said in a statement. “Together with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and after considering several alternatives, we realized that although we are almost at the starting line, the most prudent step from a security, safety, and logistical perspective is to postpone the event by a year to a quieter and safer time.”
The Games were also postponed from 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are Junior, Open and Masters swimming competitions at the Games.
The United States U16 swimming team was supposed to be led by head coach Zachary Lebovic, an assistant coach at Princeton University, and assistant coach Marlene Bruten, a former Olympic swimmer for Mexico.
The Open Swimming team was going to be led by head coach Adam Epstein, the head coach at Keiser University, and assistant coach Kelly Fertel, an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina. The Masters team was going to be led by team chair and captain, Miriam Leitko.
The Israeli government has damaged or destroyed over 90% of homes in Gaza. As an American citizen I am SICK of my tax dollars funding this mayhem.
Now Trump wants a war with Iran. Leave U.S. OUT of the Middle East!
Ah yes because Israelis just wake up in the morning with the mindset of: “hmm what am I going to do today? Let’s bomb some kids for fun”
I guarantee you that if the US was in the same position Israel was on October 7th – Gaza would have become a parking lot by October 8th so look at the full picture before you make your one sided observation.
Eh, this comment section already became a dumbster fire I’m just going to use the platform to promote that “the world’s smartest man” is based
https://xcancel.com/witten271/status/1400865690387681281
“It is the second-largest international multi-sport event.“
The Asian games, the European games, the Commonwealth games… that statement is not true as it is.
We know Americans love fake news
Look what’s happening in the country since they elected convicted f3l0n and r@p1st as the president.
Meanwhile the president keep lying breaking laws every single day and nothing consequential happened
The what?
I caught that too. Did this Israeli really say it’s postponed due to “the attack on Iran”?
I see no lies (for once)
What would you call it then? Do you think the Israeli airport is shut and Israelis running to bomb shelters every night for the past week for fun? Last time I checked a residential building in Bat Yam and a hospital in Beer-Sheva aren’t exactly “military targets”
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
how is your blue hair coming along?
Are you still pretending that the guy you voted for is “anti-war”?
Why’s that always the go-to for y’all?
I’m gonna start using, “how’re the alimony payments coming along??”
Not the place
A geopolitical postponement
A geopolitical response
“not the place”
From the river to the sea…
Do know what that means
Ah yes another brainwashed 🐑 that can’t even point which river and which sea.. feeling trendy enough?
whys everything always gotta be so political
You’re kidding, right?