Livingston Teens Win Soccer Gold in the JCC Maccabi Games

Temple B’nai Abraham member Jake Samuels, son of Roberta and Randy Samuels, and grandson of Marianne and Bernie Tulman, attended the Maccabi games in Cherry Hill, NJ with JCC MetroWest. The games were held from August 10 through August 15. Samuels’ soccer team won the gold medal in overtime. His team was undefeated throughout the entire tournament.

The JCC Maccabi Games® are an Olympic-style sporting competition held each summer in North America. The sporting event is the second largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world. The Maccabi Movement began in 1895 when the first all-Jewish sports club was formed in Constantinople. The first world Maccabiah Games were held in Israel in 1932. Now, this two week competition takes place every four years and has featured many world class Jewish athletes including: Mark Spitz (swimming), Mitch Gaylord (gymnastics), Ernie Grunfeld and Danny Schayes (basketball), Brad Gilbert and Dick Savitt (tennis).

Since its inception in 1982, the Games have grown from a small pilot project in one host community, to an Olympic-style sporting competition held each summer in multiple sites throughout North America. The JCC Maccabi Games are the largest organized sports program for Jewish teenagers in the world.

Today, more than 6,000 teens, ranging from 13 to 16 years of age, participate in the JCC Maccabi Games® each summer. The Games are co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Center Association of North America, Maccabi World Union, Maccabi Canada, and Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel.

Pictured in the photo from left to right: TBA member Jake Samuels with Maccabi teammates Jack Wasserman and Adam Lorimer. All pictured will be juniors at Livingston High School this fall.

Photo and information courtesy of Roberta Samuel.