1993 Maccabiah Games

The 1993 Maccabiah Games was the 14th installment of the Maccabiah Games and brought 5,100 athletes to Israel from 48 nations.

Jewish athletes from Poland, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia participated for the first time after World War II, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Athletes from the eight Republics of the former Soviet Union also participated.

A giant torch has been fixed in the National Stadium for this games and on.

Yael Arad, who had won a silver medal for Israel in judo at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, lit the Maccabiah torch.

Participating communities

The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that community contributed.

External links

2005 Maccabiah Games

The 2005 Maccabiah Games (Hebrew: המכביה ה-17 ישראל תשס"ה‎), held in Israel, were the 17th incarnation of the 'Jewish Olympics.' They attracted the largest attendance of any Maccabiah Games, including more than 900 representatives from the United States, almost 500 from Australia, and more than 2,000 from Israel, bringing the total participants to more than 7,700 from 55 countries.

Israel ended the games at the top of the medal count with 228 gold medals. The United States was second with 71 gold medals, while Russia came in third with 15.

Selected results

Vadim Gutzeit of Ukraine, an Olympic gold medal winner in team sabre, won gold medals in individual and team sabre. Two-time Olympic gold medal winner Sergey Sharikov of Russia won the silver medal in sabre. In fencing, two-time Pan American Games gold medalist Dan Kellner won the silver medal in foil for the US.

In women's tennis, Sharon Fichman of Canada won the gold medal at the age of 14, and also won a bronze medal in the women’s doubles, and a silver medal in mixed doubles.

1950 Maccabiah Games

The 3rd Maccabiah (Hebrew: המכביה השלישית‎) took place during Sukkot from September 27 to October 8, 1950. This was the first time the Maccabiah was held after the independence of the State of Israel; 15 years after the previous Maccabiah.

History

The 3rd Maccabiah was originally scheduled to take place three years after the 2nd Maccabiah in Spring of 1931. Various preparations have already begun; posters were already made and distinguished guests such as the Chief Rabbi of Romanian Jewry, Jacob Itzhak Niemirower came to Eretz Yisrael. However, for a number of reasons, such as the British Authorizes refusal to approve the games (due to illegal immigration concerns) and the Arab revolt, the games were postponed indefinitely. The Maccabiah was further delayed due to World War II and the Israeli War of Independence.

The final date for the third Maccabiah was decided upon at the Third World Congress of Maccabi in December of 1948, during the war. At the same meeting it was also agreed that games will not be held on Saturdays and holidays.