JCC Maccabi Games '14

‘14 TEAM TORONTO JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014 JCCs of Greater Toronto | 1

JCCs of Greater Toronto

Jr JRoots jewish school

Cc

Fh

The Jack and Pat Kay Centre Camp

Fitness and health

Dp Daycare and preschool

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 gives everything a special something.

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

As Adults and seniors

Cf Children, teens and families

Jp Kl

In

Kachol Lavan hebrew school

Inclusion services

Jprojects russian speaking initiatives

Cs JCC chai sports

Ic Israeli canadian project

there’s something special about the J! Prosserman JCC | Sherman Campus - 4588 Bathurst St. | prossermanjcc.com Schwartz/Reisman Centre | Lebovic Campus - 9600 Bathurst St. | srcentre.ca

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.

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Table of Contents 14U - Baseball 16U - Baseball 14U - Boys Basketball 16U - Boys Basketball 16U - Girls Basketball 16U - Inline Hockey 16U - Boys Soccer 16U - Girls Soccer Swimming Tennis

16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 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 gained 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 There 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 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 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, where we will continue our mission of “Building Community One Game at a Time.”

Alex Voihanski, Delegation Head, JCCs of Greater Toronto

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“Watching our delegation evolve from a single soccer team 5 years ago in Baltimore, to more than 100 athletes competing in over 10 diferent 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 of the ield 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. I feel a special sense of pride to be part of our community, and look forward to seeing our delegation lourish in the future both on and of the ield.”

- Jeremy Blustein, Delegation Head 10 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

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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 efort 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

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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

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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 of the ield is a reward any coach would relish to ind at any level of competition, and certainly forged relationships that will last a lifetime.” - Nolan Revin, Manager 16u Baseball 20 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

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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

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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 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 24 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

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Cedric Attias Ariel Bernstein Daniel Cohen Ran Meyer Micah Ngamba Jordan Riger Daniel Tsipris Matthew Winick Noah Wolgelerenter Moshe Zieleniec

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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

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Jordan Abramsky Yaakob Bendayan Leron Capland Sean Katzoti Ryan Konopny Lior Kozai Daniel Liberman Gregory Sapojnikov David Serero Sean Wayne

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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

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Samantha Brown Caitlin Chichora Rebecca Mamann Kayla Markin Michelle Morris Yael Morris Kyra Pollak Zoe Raphael Hallie Rodney Laurenariel Rudberg

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16U - Boys

INLINE HOCKEY Coach: Shane Urowitz “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

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Tyler Cohen Ethan Itovitch Josh Kravitz Daniel Laufer Noah Levy Zachary Schecter Lucas Serper

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16U - Boys

SOCCER Coaches: Brad Kalk “After attending three diferent JCC games, as a soccer mom and coach’s 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 of the ield is priceless! The friendships built and the experiences had are second to none.

We are blessed to have this incredible opportunity!” - Lisa Kalk, Parent 40 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

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Michael Savage Sam Brenner Joseph Camhi Joshua Eisenstat Jordan Kagan Michael Kagan Joshua Kalk Jake Mintz Shimon Nauenberg David Shapiro Maxwell Uretsky

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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

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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

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“ 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 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

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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 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 staf.” - Dan Mamelak 50 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

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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

MAZEL TOV! JCC Chai Sports and Toronto’s JCC Maccabi Games® Teams.

Yasher Koach!

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Magen Boys Entertainment is a proud supporter of JCC Chai Sports and Toronto’s JCC Maccabi Games Delegation. Mazel Tov to all participants.

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

GO TORONTO! 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 JCC Maccabi Games®. www.custombiologics.com

Proud to sponsor the 2014 JCC Maccabi games® www.ccandp.com 54 | JCC Maccabi Games® - Detroit 2014

Prosserman JCC Sherman Campus | 4588 Bathurst Street | 416.638.1881| prossermanjcc.com Schwartz/Reisman Centre Lebovic Campus | 9600 Bathurst Street | 905.303.1821| srcentre.ca