Win or lose, participants call Maccabi Games a ‘gold-medal summer’

by Norm Oshrin
Special to NJ Jewish News

Fourteen-year-old Joseph Benun had “chills” last month, as he counted the days until he would be competing at the 25th annual JCC Maccabi Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a representative of the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center in Deal.

It would be his first-ever time at the games, and he didn’t know what to expect. The only thing he knew, he said just days before the event, was: “I’m going to be with kids from other places…connecting with them…praying with them….”

About a week later, Joseph returned to his Oakhurst home as the star of what Shlomo Weiss, the JCC physical education director — who led the JCC delegation to Vancouver — called “a Cinderella story.”

“He was voted the most valuable player of track and field,” said Weiss; Joseph was recognized for taking four gold medals, in the 800-meter relay, the 400 mixed relay, long jump, and triple long jump. He also earned a silver for the 1,500 meters and bronzes for the 400-meter relay and medley relay — all in the 14-and-under competition.

The teenager conceded that his victories took him by surprise. “I wasn’t expecting to get any medals,” he said.

Joseph’s achievement won praise from a JCC teammate. “I was most surprised about how good the one boy running track from our delegation did because it was his first time competing in almost every one of his events,” said Howard Levi, who competed in 16-and-under soccer. “Our team didn’t do so good and we didn’t win any medals, but we had a lot of fun,” he added.

While Joseph, Howard, and their six teammates were competing and having fun in Canada — garnering several medals in a variety of events — the team from the JCC of Western Monmouth County, Manalapan, was competing in the Maccabi Games in Stamford, Conn.

All the teen competitors in the three host cities (Phoenix was the third) were vying with hundreds of their Jewish peers from North America, South America, Israel, and Europe in everything from tennis and swimming to basketball and soccer.

“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” said Joseph.

It was the same for 16-year-old Jason Stern, who lives in Wayside and brought home eight swimming medals for the Western Monmouth JCC.

“It was an experience I’ll never forget,” he said. “It’s the only time you are around thousands of other Jewish kids,” a feeling shared by other athletes who participated in the games.

Thirteen-year-old Daniel Snow, for example, cherished the chance not only “to play basketball all day” but to do so with his peers. “I just wanted to play basketball with Jewish kids,” he said, something he doesn’t get a chance to do at home on his Amateur Athletic Union team.

“I got an Israel team jacket,” Daniel said. “It’s cool. I want to go back.”

So does Rachel Karpoff, who lives in Highland Park.

Although she was on the non-medal-winning Western Monmouth girls’ basketball team, she took advantage of a chance to compete in track and field and came home with a silver medal in the 100-yard dash.

Her fondest memory of the event? “That there were hundreds of Jewish kids from all over the world gathered together.” She was impressed, too, she said, by how “the kids traded their uniforms and warm-ups for uniforms and warm-ups from a different team.”

Fifteen-year-old Seth Einbinder of Holmdel, winner of a bronze medal in tennis doubles, echoed the sentiment: “It was weird to think everybody there was Jewish,” he said.

Jack Ringel, physical education director at the Manalapan JCC — who headed his JCC’s delegation to the games — could not be more pleased with the reaction.

“It’s important for the youth in the community to experience their Jewishness through sports and meet other kids from all over the world,” he said.

Seth was especially impressed by how the games “were a lot more organized” than in his previous two trips to the games. “Every event was just perfectly coordinated,” he said.

Josh Rosenheck didn’t come home with any medals for his 16-and-under soccer team — for good reason, he believes — but he did return with fond memories of his time in Vancouver with the contingent from the Deal JCC.

“Host family night is when your family can take you to do whatever they want,” he explained. “Some families went to the beach and some had barbecues. We met up with another family with two athletes from Montreal and went go-carting together.

“The other soccer teams were at a much higher level than our team,” he claimed. “One of the teams had a U.S. national player on it.”

But, Josh said, he is not deterred. “I want to go back next year because it is such a good experience, meeting people from all over the world and playing soccer. Even if our team wasn’t that great this year, hopefully we can field a better team for next year’s games.”

Back in Wayside, Jason reflected on what was — because of his advanced age — his last Maccabi Games experience.

This time, he said, and unlike his earlier Maccabi Games, “I was not the youngest one there. I was older, more mature. Everyone looked up to me.”

He also had a special personal memory.

“I actually met a girl from Israel who was really cool,” he said.