maccabi book

1JCCs of Greater Toronto |

‘14

TEAM TORONTOJCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

Prosserman JCC | Sherman Campus - 4588 Bathurst St. | prossermanjcc.comSchwartz/Reisman Centre | Lebovic Campus - 9600 Bathurst St. | srcentre.ca

there’s something special about the J!

J stands for Jewish and also for JCC:

the welcoming environment that transcends

differences, creating an atmosphere

where anything is possible.

“Element J” is the strand of DNA

that ties everything we do.

We see it in our camps, our early childhood

classrooms, our fitness centre – and beyond.

In fact, it’s true of all the amazing array of

offerings that comprise a JCC... Element J giveseverything a special something.

www.srcentre.ca | 905.303.1821www.prossermanjcc.com | 416.638.1881

JCCs of Greater Toronto

DpDaycare

and preschool

FhFitness

and health

JpJprojects

russian speakinginitiativesKl

Kachol Lavanhebrew school

CfChildren,

teens and families

AsAdults

and seniors

JrJRoots

jewish school

CsJCC chai sports

InInclusion services

CcThe Jack and

Pat KayCentre Camp

IcIsraeli

canadian project

4 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

About the JCC Maccabi Games The JCC Maccabi Games® are an Olympic-style sporting competition held each summer in North America and 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).

The first North American JCC Maccabi Games® were held in 1982 with 300 athletes. Due to overwhelming interest, Regional

Games were added in 1985 to augment the even-year Continental Games. 1997 marked the first time that the Games were held

simultaneously in six American cities with 4,400 participating athletes. Since their 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, over 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,


Table of Contents

14U - Baseball 1616U - Baseball 2014U - Boys Basketball 2416U - Boys Basketball 2816U - Girls Basketball 3216U - Inline Hockey 3616U - Boys Soccer 4016U - Girls Soccer 44Swimming 48Tennis 50


Letter from Rick NelsonIt was my honour to attend this year’s JCC Maccabi Games® in Detroit, as a representative of the JCCs of Greater Toronto administration. I was a proud member of Team Toronto! Being present when thebusses arrived at the Detroit JCC, and witnessing the entrance of our 107 athletes and 19 staff at Opening Ceremonies were moments I won’t soon forget.

I had the opportunity to meet with many of the families who attended the games. We all felt the pride of being connected through the games, watching our athletes participate with grace, talent, and representingour community at the highest level. We together “kvelled”, as we saw Team Toronto win medals, support each other, and compete with dignity.

I congratulate Alex Voihanski, Delegation Head, and his staff and coaches, for providing the leadership and support for our program. It is their vision and dedication that make this program successful.

The values our teens gaine from this experience, along with thousands of other Jewish teens from around the world, are lifetime experiences. From home hospitality, to sportsmanship, to learning about Jewish peoplehood, the JCCs of Greater Toronto and the Jewish Community Centre Association, create this wonderful platform for our children to grow.

The JCC Maccabi program in Toronto is thriving, yet continues to grow. We look for your continued support as we prepare for the 2015 Games.

Rick Nelson,

Executive Director, Jewish Community Campuses of Greater Toronto


Letter from Andrew LevyThere is truly something special about the JCC Maccabi Games. The new friendships, the competition, the sense of community and the connection to worldwide Jewry create a very unique atmosphere. Every participant brings back a unique story, and those stories are shared for years to come. For the JCCs of Greater Toronto and the Schwartz/Reisman Centre, the JCC Maccabi Games represents an opportunity for us to tell our story. It was not that long ago when we established our recreational department, JCC Chai Sports. Our vision was to provide house league,developmental and elite programs for young athletes with a dream that their Jewish journey will lead them to the JCC Maccabi Games. Today, we are thrilled to say that over 1000 athletes between the ages of 5-14 are engaged in year round programming, and many of them are waiting with excitement for their JCC Maccabi experience.

For those of us that have participated and/or attended the JCC Maccabi Games, we know how fast the days fly by. In order to capture some of the highlights, we wanted to present you with this commemorative book as a keepsake for your participation in Detroit. Each of your represented our community with such pride, and we hope that you enjoy the many special moments that we captured in the following pages.

I am so proud of the rapid growth of the program, and I applaud each of you for your dedication and look forward to building on this momentum with you, as participants, alumni and hopefully one day as the host community. This is just the beginning and in 2015 we are excited to expand Team Toronto to include our first ever JCC Maccabi Artsfest participants. We hope to see you there.

Andrew Levy,

Executive Director, Schwartz/Reisman Centre


DELEGATION

107 Athletes | 19 Staff

‘14

JCC of Greater Toronto


Letter From Alex Voihanski2014 has been a fantastic year for JCC Chai Sports, and one of the biggest reasons for that, was our JCC Maccabi Games® experience. This was the largest Delegation Toronto has ever produced with 107 athletes and 19 staff, and we could not be prouder of our participants and community. Our players, spectators and staff were exceptional and the encouragement they gave each other was unmatched by other delegations. We also have to be excited about our results, which were simply outstanding. We had a record 42 medals, with numerous Gold’s in swimming, Girls Basketball and Girls Soccer. On top of that, our participants represented themselves with nothing but class both onand off the field, court and rink. Whether it was at Opening Ceremonies, JCC Cares or at Evening Activity, Toronto’s tremendous presence was felt, and our City has a lot to be proud of. On behalf of Jeremy Blustein and I, we especially would like to thank our coaches for being such an integral part of the games. From recruitment,to practices, to communication, to guidance, to supervision, to coaching; they were excellent, and the only reason we were able to have such a great week, and achieve so much success. We firmly believe that we are the exemplary delegation in how to lead, coach and mentor these children, and our participants had memories of a lifetime because of those attributes. We hope to see you all next year, where we will continue our mission of “Building Community One Game at a Time.”

Alex Voihanski,

Delegation Head, JCCs of Greater Toronto


‘14

“Watching our delegation evolve from a single soccer team 5 years ago in

Baltimore, to more than 100 athletes competing in over 10 different events has

been nothing short of remarkable. While our success in the various events is

certainly impressive, it is the unity, class and sportsmanship displayed off the

field that has given me the greatest sense of pride from our delegation. Players

and coaches come from a wide array of backgrounds that are truly indicative

of the great diversity from within our city. The JCC’s of Greater Toronto have

helped break down barriers and unite our entire community by providing us

all with the ‘Maccabi Experience’. I feel a special sense of pride to be part of

our community, and look forward to seeing our delegations flourish in the

future both on and off the field.” - Jeremy Blustein, Delegation Head


‘14

BAsEBALLManagers: Jim Oziel, Sheldon GaseeCoaches: Dan Shulman, Dan Rutman

14U - Boys

“ I want to thank all the coaches of the Toronto 14U Maccabi team for

their time and effort in coaching the team to a hard fought silver medal.

It is clear that you are all passionate about the game and provided the

kids with the leadership required to earn a medal.” - Danny Abraham


Adam Abraham

Griffin Bernstein

Matthew Coles

Joshua Fraser

Max Freedman

Reuben Gasee

Aaron Gotkin

Natanel Love

Jordan Miller

Sam Oziel

Benjamin Shulman

Jamie Stein

Jadon Rutman


‘14

BAsEBALLManagers: Nolan Revin, Noah Frankel

16U - Boys

“The experience of coaching a group of Jewish youths in the JCC Maccabi

Games® is unmatchable and hard to put in words. To watch my group of

young athletes bond both on and off the field is a reward any coach would

relish to find at any level of competition, and certainly forged relationships

that will last a lifetime.” - Nolan Revin, Manager


Ryan Coopersmith

Matthew Fabian

Peter Joseph

Andrew Katz

Shane Katz

Daniel Klein

Cory Levy

Mathew Lonetto

Jeremy Marco

Joshua Margles

Matthew Reiter

Jaden Robbins

Jacob Title


‘14

BAskETBALLCoach: Eric Gelman

14U - Boys

“Participating in the ‘98 Detroit Maccabi games as athlete and returning

16 years later as a coach has been a phenomenal experience. It has also

given me a deeper appreciation for the Maccabi Organization. It is an

honor to represent Toronto in the games. Til this day I keep in touch with

friends I’ve met in ‘98.” - Eric Gelman, Coach


Cedric Attias

Ariel Bernstein

Daniel Cohen

Ran Meyer

Micah Ngamba

Jordan Riger

Daniel Tsipris

Matthew Winick

Noah Wolgelerenter

Moshe Zieleniec


‘14

BAskETBALLCoach: Andre Serero, Vlad Kovalevsky

16U - Boys

“We wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you both

for training the team for the Maccabi games. Your commitment

and dedication to the team were exemplary. Besides gaining so

much from the practices, most importantly [our son] was made to

feel part of a family.” - Anonymous Parent


Jordan Abramsky

Yaakob Bendayan

Leron Capland

Sean Katzoti

Ryan Konopny

Lior Kozai

Daniel Liberman

Gregory Sapojnikov

David Serero

Sean Wayne


‘14

BAskETBALLCoach: Amy Sherman

16U - Girls

“As a player, the JCC Maccabi Games® motivated me as an athlete

and shaped me as a person. As a coach, the Games inspired me to

be the best example for my team and delegation. Seeing the joy on

the girls’ faces after winning gold is a feeling that will stay with

me forever.” - Amy Sherman, Coach


Samantha Brown

Caitlin Chichora

Rebecca Mamann

Kayla Markin

Michelle Morris

Yael Morris

Kyra Pollak

Zoe Raphael

Hallie Rodney

Laurenariel Rudberg


INLINE HOCkEy

‘14

Coach: Shane Urowitz

16U - Boys

“Being involved in JCC Maccabi Games is an amazing experience.

The gathering of young Jewish athletes from all over the world is

certainly a sight to see and is incredibly rewarding. See you in 2015!”

- Shane Urowitz, Inline Hockey


Tyler Cohen

Ethan Itovitch

Josh Kravitz

Daniel Laufer

Noah Levy

Zachary Schecter

Lucas Serper


‘14

sOCCERCoaches: Brad Kalk

16U - Boys

“After attending three different JCC games, as a soccer mom and coaches

wife, I believe the JCC games are one of the most meaningful and

memorable times in a person’s life. Being able to play a competitive sport

with other Jewish people in an awesome environment on and off the field is

priceless! The friendships built and the experiences had are second to none.

We are blessed to have this incredible opportunity!” - Lisa Kalk, Parent


Michael Savage

Sam Brenner

Joseph Camhi

Joshua Eisenstat

Jordan Kagan

Michael Kagan

Joshua Kalk

Jake Mintz

Shimon Nauenberg

David Shapiro

Maxwell Uretsky


‘14

sOCCERCoaches: Menashe Levi, Honey Levi, Esmé Levi, Christina Allegretto

16U - Girls

“It was incredible to return to the JCC Maccabi Games as a coach after

having been an athlete years ago for all four years I was eligible.

It was evident that our soccer girls not only enjoyed the athletic

aspect of the games but also the social aspect and created

friendships that could last a lifetime.” - Esmé Levi, Coach


Ariel Albin

Jordana Bleiwas

Ariel Blum

Grace Cobbold

Talia Duarte

Pamela Fages

Jordyn Gelbloom

Roberta Goodman

Emily Halman

Tamara Janowski

Mandy Joseph

Allie Kent

Lauren Kohn

Diva Levi

Carly Levin

Madeleine Liblong

Talia Niss

Madison Packer

Elle Rosen

Katherine Sliwowicz

Sarit Winstok

Michelle Zilberman


“ Because of this experience I have made long lasting friends who I would have never met before.

I can’t wait to make more memories with them next year.” - Mandy


swIMMING

‘14

Coach: Davina LopezSwimmers: Lea Goldman, Joseph Samuel, Erin Sass, Chad Walt

“What an experience watching all my athletes compete, make friends and

most importantly being part of Maccabi experience with a thousand other

young Jewish athletes and artists. This was truly a great experience and

I can’t wait to coach again next year!” - Davina, Swimming Coach


TENNIs

‘14

Coach: Brian Panovka

Players: Jordan Mamelak,Naomi Panovka, Kyle Singer, Jack Stein

“A quick note to say thank you very much for the opportunity for Jordan

to participate in this year’s JCC Maccabi games. It was amazing and he

had a fantastic time. We were all very impressed with the event and how

well organized it was. Kudos to you and your staff.” - Dan Mamelak


CongratulationsToronto Delegation in the D, 2014!

… and a bigshout out to the girls’ soccer team … way to go!

Naomi Shacter Graphic Design | clear visual communications | www.nsgd.com

JCC Chai Sports and Toronto’sJCC Maccabi Games® Teams. Yasher Koach!

MAZEL TOV!


Magen Boys Entertainment is a proud supporter of JCC Chai Sports and Toronto’s JCC Maccabi

Games Delegation. Mazel Tov to all participants.

GO TORONTO!

The Bridge-Network congratulates all of the athletes and coaches that participated in the 2014 JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit.


Great science – it’s at the heart of everything we do.

Congratulations to all the athletesof the 2014 Detroit JCC Maccabi Games®.

www.custombiologics.com

Proud to sponsor the 2014 JCC Maccabi games®

www.ccandp.com

maccabi book

Documents

years jcc maccabi games

detroit jcc

regional games

world maccabiah games

maccabi movement

maccabi world union

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