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.
Historically, the Maccabiah Games have featured several American swimmers who have also won Olympic gold medals, including Mark Spitz, Garrett Weber-Gale, Jason Lezak, Anthony Ervin, and Lenny Krayzelburg.
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.
65 UN resolutions broken so far. A WORLD RECORD, criminal record.
Optimistic timeframe.
Mark Spitz, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jason Lezak, Marilyn Ramenofsky, and Anthony Ervin.
Some of the names that have swum for America at the Maccabiah Games
Garrett Weber-Gale as well.
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.
I don’t really care what Israel’s mindset is while bombing kids, I just want them to stop bombing kids.
And I think I made it pretty clear in my comment that I’m not giving the US any sort of pass whatsoever. The US is encouraging Israel.
Yes because that is the only issue – bombing kids. Do you think we like that? It’s a war. Have you ever lived through a war? What do you think about German kids that died during WWII? Who do you blame for that? The Germans or the Americans? Stop being so blind.. yes kids die is sad and unfortunate but what other approach do we have? When terrorists are using kids as human shields what do you suggest to do?
Literally defending the murder of children with “well what can you do?” When 90% of homes are destroyed it’s not collateral damage. Sickening.
And what’s Israel excuse for bombing Tehran unprovoked.
Palestinians have lived in the Levant for thousand of years.
The conflicts didn’t start until British PM Benjamin Disraeli moved European jews to the Levant.
And since then Isreal kept illegally expanding and occupying and displacing Palestinians.
Let’s set it straight – who do you consider Palestinians? Just Arabs?
The term so called “Palestinians” was created in the 1960s.. the region was called Palestine by the Romans.. there was never a COUNTRY named Palestine. No government, no currency, nothing. Just a region where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in. And now when you say displaced Palestinians you are referring to who?
And do you know where Jews originated from? You probably skipped a few history lessons if you think they originated from Europe..
I don’t think bombing a nation’s worth of people “into a parking lot” is looking at the full picture either
What would happen if Israel laid down their weapons? We die. Does that give you a better answer?
Israel launched missiles to Tehran, unprovoked.
How can you answer that?
“Unprovoked” – receiving threads from the regime that Israel is a tumor that must be removed, chants of “Death to Israel, death to America” on a daily basis and enriching Uranium rapidly and yes – still for “peaceful purposes” right?
What should we do just wait for Iran to drop a nuke on Israel and then figure out what to do?
Unprovoked my a**
It was absolutely not unprovoked and you know that and it’s embarrassing that you’re spreading that narrative to prove a point.
I ain’t listening to your palestine takes if your name is “BigKush”
This is an article about a sporting event for Jewish athletes. Since we’re on a page about swimming, can we keep the focus on the athletic competition, and keep the geopolitical comments to a more appropriate forum NOT on SwimSwam?
Sorry but geopolitics are intrinsically mixed with Israel canceling their swim meet. If Israel hadn’t chosen to bomb Iran, the meet would likely be on. They did this to themselves.
You missed my point. This is a swimming page. Swim fans of all ages, nationalities, and yes, religions, come here to bask in the sport. Make as many comments as you want SOMEWHERE ELSE about the politics. Let the athletes and the fans read the swimming news here.
Maddy, I take your point quite well, but my comments don’t get in the way of anyone reading the swimming news here. You just want a safe space.
By the way, I think its very telling that you reduce my comments about kids being bombed down to “politics.”
SwimSwam SHOULD be a safe space. There are plenty of other places to make the points you are making. I’m not asking you not to make them. I’m asking you not to make them HERE. Lots of athletes and fans who have nothing to do with the war are being blamed and facing hate merely by association with their religion. It’s everywhere, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for it not to be here.
Please don’t come at me with anti-zionism is not anti-semitism. Whether or not it is, some of the comments here come pretty close to hate if not cross that line completely.
I have no problem with your passion. I have a problem with… Read more »
It’s everywhere because it needs to be. You read the article just fine. The people rightly want to discuss the underlying cause of the swim meet’s cancellation. The upvotes/downvotes speak for themselves. I am sorry Maddy but I prioritize the safety of children over a swim meet and your personal comfort level.
Ok. Fair. Why was the swim meet postponed?
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 when they elected convicted f3l0n and r@p1st as the president based on fake news and hatred.
Since then the president keep lying and breaking laws every single day and nothing consequential happened
You’re absolutely right, but don’t waste your breath on this bunch.
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”
So you can imagine what the Palestinians have been feeling for decades when Israel systematically destroyed Palestine and them illegally occupied the territory?
Israel indiscriminately bombed Palestines hospital and residential buildings and killed women and children
And whose fault is that? What about the millions of evacuation alerts the IDF has been dropping around Gaza? What other nation would warn the citizens before bombing? Have you thought about who’s hiding in and underneath those hospitals? We all know innocent people die is sad but when you have a terrorist group who found the “hack” for wars you really don’t have any other option..
Lol…are we believing anything that comes out of IDF and Bibi now?
When you live that reality for 20+ years and running to a bomb shelter or hiding under your car on the side of the highway becomes a norm then tell me “the IDF is lying”.. all of you pro Palestinians need a good shake and a slap of reality. I’ll pay for your ticket to Israel with pleasure so you can see how we “lie”
You shouldn’t be there Kushter…
So you have the right to dehumanize a people , deny them shelter food water clothing, education, destroy their infrastructure completely including univerisites? Hospitals? Oh but the tunnels are somehow still intact cleary IDF has prioritized going after the big boogeyman bad guys, and not the civilians while the IDF razes neighborhoods. Very believable…
You know what you sound like? Given the history of your people, AS A FRIEND OF your people, I expect better, especially given the trauma you have endured. Already that legacy is beyond tarnished as it have been pathetically invoked by Israeli politicians to defend the indefensible.
You know the Turks said the Armenians did it to themselves and also it didn’t happen too…… Read more »
You speak the truth. The down voting bots are out in force.
I know it’s the truth – their lie went down generations over generations they just think they can change the history of the region and argue with people who love through this. I’m sick and tired of reading these useless comments
We are seeing the ugly side of the swimming community. I would hope that the down voters and Israel and Jew haters are a minority of the swimming community. I don’t know, though.
There it is. Accusing anyone who disagrees with the actions of the Israeli government of being a “Jew hater.” Truly disgusting behavior.
There are more males in the world with DNA from Ghengis Khan than there are Israelis and Jews in the world. And yet……
Iran put a hit out on Trump. Whatever one thinks of Trump, it’s unacceptable. I didnt vote for him, and I think he’s an uncouth brute, but he now understands that when the leader of Iran says “death to America”, he means it.
We have to fight the good fight. We owe nothing to anyone.
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
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?
Only ones brainwashed are the religious fanatics, like you.
Fact is:
It is Israel who keeps illegally expanding and violently occupying land in the Levant.
It is Israel who first launched missiles on Tehran
But sure…”from river to sea”
Iran attacked Israel a few months ago, this was not an out of the blue attack from Israel.
Nice try, Iran didn’t attack Israel a few months ago.
Do you think Israel wouldn’t have immediately responded if they get attacked?
Lol.
There were Iranian strikes on Israel in both April and October 2024. So what do you call that?
Hmm…. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2024_Iranian_strikes_on_Israel