(July 2, 2026 / JNS)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday welcomed Jewish athletes from all over the world who had gathered in Jerusalem for the opening ceremony of the 22nd Maccabiah Games.
“Welcome to your home away from home. Your gathering together in Jerusalem, in this beautiful event, fills us with pride and charges this stadium with magnificent energy. The celebration of sport beginning here today, the 22nd Maccabiah Games, is a display of Jewish strength that sends a clear message to the entire Jewish people, and to the whole world. A message of partnership. A message of determination. In the face of rising antisemitism, we light the torch of the Maccabiah,” he said.
