‘14 JCC Maccabi Games - Detroit 2014 JCCs of Greater Toronto | 1
JCCs of Greater Toronto
Maybe a JCCs of Greater Toronto Ad sending out best of luck to the athletes?
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 3
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, Maccabi Canada, and Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel.
JCC Maccabi Games Mission To offer Jewish Community Centers and YM/YWHAs in North America the opportunity to reach teens through participation in the JCC Maccabi Games®, and in year-round athletic, educational, cultural and social programs, as well as teen experiences in Israel. To provide Jewish youth with a supportive environment that fosters mutual respect and sportsmanship, where they can interact in an atmosphere of fun, democracy, and peace. To cultivate a deeper understanding and instill an appreciation of Jewish values within Jewish youth, enrich their Jewish identity in an informal setting, and encourage their identification with the state of Israel. To promote and encourage the health, physical fitness and well-being of Jewish youth through participation in recreational and athletic activities To introduce Jewish youth to the international Maccabi Movement, which presents athletic, cultural, and social opportunities with Jews from around the world.
4 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
Table of Contents 14U - Baseball 16 16U - Baseball 20 14U - Boys Basketball 24 16U - Boys Basketball 28 16U - Girls Basketball 32 16U - Inline Hockey 36 16U - Boys Soccer 40 16U - Girls Soccer 44 Swimming 48 Tennis 50 JCCs of Greater Toronto | 5
Letter from Rick Nelson It 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 the busses 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 representing our 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
6 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
Letter from Andrew Levy Every year teenagers from Jewish Community Centres around the world gather to participate in a life changing experience, and at the 2014 JCC Maccabi Games速 in Detroit, Team Toronto was front and centre. Our delegation of 107 athletes and 19 staff was our largest team in recent history, and the results were outstanding. Our athletes not only brought home medals, but met new friends and created memories that will last a lifetime. Most importantly our participants competed with class and everyone represented our community and country with pride. I am so proud of the rapid growth of the program, but none of this would be possible without the commitment of our coaches, delegation heads, athletes and their families. 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. It was not that long ago, when the Schwartz/Reisman Centre and the Prosserman JCC established JCC Chai Sports, as the recreational arm of JCCs of Greater Toronto. Our vision was to provide house league, development and elite programs for young athletes with a dream that their Jewish journey will lead them to the JCC Maccabi Games速. Today, we are excited to say that well over 1000 athletes between the ages of 5-14 are engaged in year round programming and many of them are patiently waiting for their JCC Maccabi Games速 experience. 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
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 7
JCC of Greater Toronto
DELEGATION
107 Athletes | 19 Staff ‘14 8 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
Letter From Alex Voihanski, Delegation Head 2014 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 on and 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 in Ft. Lauderdale, where we will continue our mission of “Building Community One Game at a Time.” Alex Voihanski, Delegation Head JCC of Greater Toronto
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 9
“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
10 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 11
12 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 13
14 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 15
14U - Boys
Baseball
Managers: Jim Oziel, Sheldon Gasee Coaches: Dan Shulman, Dan Rutman
“ 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 16 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
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
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 17
18 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 19
16U - Boys
Baseball
Managers: Nolan Revin, Noah Frankel
“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 20 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
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
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 21
22 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 23
14U - Boys
Basketball Coach: Eric Gelman
“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 application 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 24 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
Cedric Attias Ariel Bernstein Daniel Cohen Ran Meyer Micah Ngamba Jordan Riger Daniel Tsipris Matthew Winick Noah Wolgelerenter Moshe Zieleniec
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 25
26 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 27
16U - Boys
Basketball Coach: Andre Serero, Vlad Kovalevsky
“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 28 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
Cedric Attias Ariel Bernstein Daniel Cohen Ran Meyer Micah Ngamba Jordan Riger Daniel Tsipris Matthew Winick Noah Wolgelerenter Moshe Zieleniec
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 29
30 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 31
16U - Girls
Basketball Coach: Amy Sherman
“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 32 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
Cedric Attias Ariel Bernstein Daniel Cohen Ran Meyer Micah Ngamba Jordan Riger Daniel Tsipris Matthew Winick Noah Wolgelerenter Moshe Zieleniec
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 33
34 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 35
16U - Boys
Inline Hockey Coach: Shane Urowitz
‘14 36 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
Tyler Cohen Ethan Itovitch Josh Kravitz Daniel Laufer Noah Levy Zachary Schecter Lucas Serper
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 37
38 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 39
16U - Boys
Soccer Coaches: Brad Kalk
‘14 40 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
Michael Savage Sam Brenner Joseph Camhi Joshua Eisenstat Jordan Kagan Michael Kagan Joshua Kalk Jake Mintz Shimon Nauenberg David Shapiro Maxwell Uretsky
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 41
42 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 43
16U - Girls
Soccer
Coaches: Menashe Levi, Honey Levi, Esmé Levi, Christina Allegretto “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
44 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
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 JCCs of Greater Toronto | 45
46 | JCC Maccabi Games速 - Detroit 2014
“ Because of this experience I have made long lasting friends who I would have never met before. I can’t wait to make to make more memories with them next year.” - Mandy JCCs of Greater Toronto | 47
Swimming
Coach: Davina Lopez Swimmers: 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 48 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 49
Tennis
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 years 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 50 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
‘14
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 51
Congratulations
Toronto Delegation
… and a big shout out to the girls’ soccer team … way to go!
in the D, 2014!
Naomi Shacter Graphic Design | clear visual communications | www.nsgd.com
The Bridge-Network congratulates all of the athletes and coaches that participated in the 2014 JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit.
GO TORONTO! 52 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
Magen Boys Entertainment is a proud supporter of JCC Chai Sports and Toronto’s JCC Maccabi Games Delegation. Mazel Tov to all participants.
MAZEL TOV! JCC Chai Sports and Toronto’s JCC Maccabi Games® Teams. Yasher Koach!
JCCs of Greater Toronto | 53
Great science – it’s at the heart of everything we do.
Congratulations to all the athletes of the 2014 Detroit Maccabi games. www.custombiologics.com
54 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014
prossermanjcc.com | srcentre.ca