As the final whistle, bell and horn rang out across Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Team Maccabi GB returned home knowing that their final day medal haul of 62 gave them a total of 142 — 63 golds, 49 silvers and 30 bronzes, breaking the 108 record set the previous year.
The Team MGB track and field side were arguably GB’s standout performers in America, winning a
hatful of medals from the first day to the last. Rounding off the competition there were awards for Alana Jacobs, who won bronze in the girls’ high jump and Aidan Raphael and Ben Oehley, who won silver and bronze respectively in the boys’ high jump. The girls won another gold, this time in the sprint medley relay and the boys took silver.
In the 4x100m co-ed relay (2 boys, 2 girls) Raphael, Jessie Wolmark, Rachel Ayrton and Adam Mizrahi won gold, with silver going to Isabelle Flitterman, Tal Pelmont, Alana Jacobs and Oehley.
It was a similar story in the 4x400m co-ed relay - gold went to Tal, Isabelle, Jessie and Aidan; silver to Adam, Alana, Rachel, Benjamin. This ended what was, undoubtedly, one of the most successful track and field events ever for a Team Maccabi GB delegation.
The table-tennis players also did GB proud. In the main competition singles Doddy Stelzer won silver and Sammy bronze after he defeated compatriot Joe Kaye 4-2.
In the doubles, Team MGB made it a 123, thanks to the pairs of Carl Breindel/Sammy Kaye, Joe Kaye/Scott Leveson and Doddy Stelzer/Nathan Sonn.
In the plate competition, the singles were dominated by Oliver Weisfeld (gold), James Rich (silver) and Jake Bluston (bronze.)
There were 11 GB medals in the swimming events with golds for Chloe Jacobs in the 50m backstroke and
Elisha Kramer, Daniel Rinkoff and Daniel Schindler in their respective 200m freestyle relays. Schindler and Jacobs also took silvers in the 200m individual medley.
Finally, there were bronzes for Elisha Kramer in the 100m breaststroke, Jacobs in the 200m freestyle relay and Molly Leizer and Rinkoff in the 200m butterfly, Schindler, winning a medal in every one of the 12 races he competed in.
In dancing, Leanne Poluck and Tamar Goldwater won the gold and silver in the U16 jazz solo event, while the team took silver in the group Israeli dancing.
Also triumphant on the day were Hannah Grunwerg and Daisy Margolis who picked up six medals between them – Hannah with two silvers and two bronzes, Daisy with a silver and a bronze for U16 girls choreography.
Team MGB’s football boys faced Mexico for a place in the final but lost 4-2 in extra-time. But they took the bronze thrashing East Bay 7–2.
In tennis, Tash Mosheim and Tammy Salt won girls doubles gold and Jack Miller and George Bier did the same for the boys, while in the singles Tali Fraser took a bronze. In the plate competition there was more success, this time for Charlie Pentol-Levy and Jonathan Mizrahi, who both won gold in the U16 and U14 events.
Jimmy Benjamin unfortunately had to withdraw half-way through his bronze medal match in the U16 boys singles with a damaged shoulder. But overall, the tennis players had an impressive tournament.
Although no medals were won in lacrosse or girls’ football events, delegation co-head Brian Green said: "If gold medals were given out for team spirit and effort then I would be reporting a different story as the girls have been fantastic and a true credit to Great Britain’s Jewish community.
"Unfortunately, they did not have enough on the field of play to progress just that little further and win a medal but they have had great fun trying and have all made plenty of friends along the way – which is what these games are all about."
