In the foyer, a group of Israelis, flags draped around their shoulders, were chanting in Hebrew. On the futsal pitch, the under-18 Team GB were singing Three Lions after triumphing over their Italian counterparts, and in the café, athletes of all nationalities were sitting and chatting, while refuelling after an intense week of sports at the European Maccabi Youth Games.
Hockey players at the European Maccabi Youth Games (Photo: Jamie Gordon)
“I’ve had an amazing time,” said Alex Levin, 17, of the winning futsal team, who lives in Finchley. “I live in such a little bubble in north-west London, but this week, I’ve met Italian Jews, Argentinian Jews, Jews from all over the world. On the pitch, we are rivals, but when it was Friday night, there was this real sense of all being together.”
Over Shabbat on the University of Hertfordshire campus, there were evening services in three different languages and on Saturday morning, both Orthodox and Progressive prayer groups were held.
Ashley Lerner, CEO of Maccabi GB, said: “Friday night was incredible. There were 900 people eating together. There was so much energy.”
European Maccabi Youth Games havdalah (Photo: Jamie Gordon)
For a few of the kids, it was the first time they had worn a kippah or lit Shabbat candles. “I’m not the most observant person in the world,” said James Sack, 15, from Essex, whose under-16 futsal team also walked away with gold. “It was my first Shabbat ever, and it was really good.”
James said that another highlight was “getting to know my team and playing in front of a crowd”.
The futsal matches were among the last of a week of competitions, which saw over 800 athletes from 14 countries take part in 23 different sports.
The week also included Access Games for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, who received training from the Israeli under-18 basketball team, some of whom also have special educational needs.
“A couple of the Access participants came back to volunteer at the Games, so they got something out of it and then gave something back, which is what Maccabi is all about,” said Lerner.
Basketball at the European Maccabi Youth Games (Photo: Jamie Gordon)
While Team GB walked away with the most medals, the week was about much more than just sport, he said.
“What really makes the concept of any Maccabi Games unique is that Jewish identity is woven into the fabric of our programme. Maccabi is all about creating Jewish identity through the prism of sport.”
An educational programme included a session run by the Anti-Defamation League about how to tackle antisemitism and a professional footballers panel featured former players Dean Furman and Joe Jacobson.
While the event was held in the diaspora – and was the first European Maccabi Youth Games to be hosted by Maccabi GB – Israel was never far from the delegates’ thoughts.
The hostages held in Gaza were never far from the thoughts of delegates at the European Maccabi Youth Games (Photo: Jamie Gordon)
“Each delegation ‘adopted’ a hostage, and on Friday night, we laid a Shabbat table for the hostages with a yellow tablecloth and had two huge challahs in the shape of the yellow ribbons, which had been donated,” said Lerner.
The Israeli athletes included a group from the south of Israel. Lerner said that for them, “it was an opportunity to come to the UK, to play sports and to meet other Jewish kids, and just be kids. It was a really cathartic experience for them”.
Triumphant delegates at the European Maccabi Youth Games (Photo: Jamie Gordon)
He added that it was equally meaningful for the participants from the diaspora. “It has been an opportunity to meet Jewish kids from other parts of the world. It made them realise that they are not alone and are part of one big Jewish Maccabi family.”
Lerner paid tribute to the university, the police and CST, saying that they had “been humbled by the unwavering support and commitment of everyone involved to ensure that the games were as successful as they have been”.
For CST, it was one of their largest ever security operations, involving over 1,250 security shifts over 10 days across three venues [including Habs Boys School and Maccabi London], as well as trips into London.
Delegates at the European Maccabi Youth Games enjoyed a trip to London on an open top bus (Photo: Jamie Gordon)
A spokesperson for CST said: “The team spirit was incredible and there was a great sense of camaraderie amongst both the volunteers and the participants. We want to thank everyone for their incredible support and time they committed to securing the games, we couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.”
Amir Gissin, CEO of Maccabi World Union, told the JC afterwards: “We live in times when community is more than just a token word, but actually a part of what creates the resilience of the Jewish people, in Israel and in the diaspora.
“The Maccabi Youth Games play a role in strengthening this resilience, as well as in emphasising the mind-body-spirit connection that is integral to the development of the young athlete and the young Jew.”
