A night of speeches ended in dance. By design, nearly 2,000 teenage Jewish athletes at the JCC Maccabi Campus Games fulfilled the promise of former hostage Mia Schem, who, upon release from Hamas captivity, declared: “We will dance again.”
Those words, which Schem inked on her arm with the date Oct. 7, 2023, were referenced by social-media influencer Montana Tucker during her address to attendees of the Opening Ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi Campus Games.
“From the Maccabees who fought for our freedom thousands of years ago, to our grandparents who survived the Holocaust, to every single one of you standing here tonight, all of us in here are living proof of that spirit,” she said. Those who came here are doing so “not just to compete, but to connect and celebrate, and to show the world that Jewish spirit is stronger than ever, and that we are people who dance again.”
Tucker’s remarks, delivered inside the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center in Oakland on Aug. 4, were among a series of speeches imploring more than 3,000 participants to both promote Jewish joy and embrace the spirit of the Maccabi Games.
Established in 1982 as a North American Olympic-style competition, the JCC Maccabi Games are the signature summer sports event for young Jewish athletes, according to Barak Hermann, president and CEO of the JCC Association of North America. Since its inception, nearly 500,000 youth have participated in the Games, he said.
Samantha Cohen, senior vice president of JCC Maccabi, described her own experience 25 years ago as a British tennis player embarking on her first Maccabi experience.
“It was life-changing,” she said. “I marched into an arena like this in Madison Square Garden. There were 10,000 people of every age, every background, every denomination, every spectrum—not just of Jewish life, but also of our allies in the Jewish community—who were cheering and hollering and clapping, and we were all there for one purpose: to celebrate Jewish joy and celebrate Jewish life.”
Those goals remain the same a quarter century later, Jason Kunzman, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, said: “The power of this moment isn’t just what we have built; it is what we have believed. We have said loudly and clearly, we believe in our youth. We believe in Jewish connection. We believe in experiences that last a lifetime.”
Aiding those experiences is the University of Pittsburgh, as for the first time in the Games’ history, teen participants are staying, competing and connecting on a college campus.
University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel described the historic partnership between Pitt and the JCC Maccabi Games.
“Over the course of this week, our athletes will form a new community and they’ll make history,” she said. “Their individual journeys will come together into this new chapter of strength and tradition—attributes that we are proud of and define this great city.”
‘Talk about the future’
The Opening Ceremonies nodded to Pittsburgh and the wider Jewish world. Tributes were paid to the 11 Israeli Olympians murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Pittsburghers Alan Mallinger and Amy Mallinger recalled the 11 Jewish worshippers who were killed in the Tree of Life building in 2018. The atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, and the plight of the hostages and those affected by war were mentioned.
For 18 months, organizers have strategized and planned the JCC Maccabi Campus Games, Scott Sewald, JCC Pittsburgh’s board chair, told the Chronicle. Along with celebrating Israel, community and heritage, this experience is about “Jewish pride.”
Appreciation for participants and their place in the Jewish story was demonstrated on Monday evening.
As each delegation entered the events center, their respective captains and representatives held a large cardboard cutout of a Heinz ketchup bottle. Printed on each sign was the group’s origin. Among the more than 50 teams marching in were squads from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Israel and Mexico; and though both the Pittsburgh and Israeli groups garnered significant applause, the night’s loudest cheers may have been bestowed on the teenage team that traveled 5,000 miles to reach western Pennsylvania.
Upon entering the arena, a small group of Jewish competitors representing Ukraine was welcomed. Thousands of attendees stood, shouted and cheered.
Corey O’Connor, Democratic nominee for the 2025 Pittsburgh mayoral election, told the Chronicle the Games have a clear purpose.
“Whether your team wins or loses, it’s not what it’s about,” he said. “It’s about how we can all get together for a good cause. How we can get together and talk about the youth, talk about the future, talk about how we can connect people from all different walks—yes, celebrating Judaism—from different parts of the world, and how easy it is to come together to celebrate that.”
At a time of increased polarization, the beauty of this experience should not be forgotten, City of Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler said. “The opportunity for Jewish kids to come together to experience community is particularly helpful for them. This is a very crazy environment. And from my perspective, to allow that community to occur is a meaningful thing to happen.”
After hours of entrances, speeches and dedications, the Games were set to formally begin.
Tucker, a social-media star with 9 million TikTok followers, told the teens there was only one thing left to do.
“Raise your flags up,” she said. “I want you all to dance with me.”
Reprinted with permission from the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
