Members of Team Austin at 2025 JCC Maccabi Games in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Courtesy: Julie Waltzer

The 2025 JCC Maccabi games took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from August 3-8. Shalom Austin sent a local Team delegation, led by the enthusiastic Mark Pattis and Tommy Romano. Also with the team was Shalom Austin Women’s Philanthropy volunteer Julie Waltzer. “I was honored to be able to travel with our team of over 40 athletes (ages 13 – 17), incredible Shalom Austin staff, coaches, and family spectators,” Waltzer said. “Each summer, over 3,000 Jewish Athletes from around the globe compete in Olympic-style sports competitions. Since 1982, the games have provided an opportunity to promote more than sports, celebrating an immense sense of Jewish pride and unity.”

This year was no different, however, it was unique in that the games were hosted in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh as they piloted the first ever Campus Games. The athletes and coaches stayed in the university dorms, ate in university cafeterias, and competed at the local universities and high schools.

Athletes competed in a variety of the 14 sports offered including: baseball, softball, girls and boys basketball, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, star reporter and dance. The Austin delegation consisted of first and second year athletes as well as multiple team members attending for their third and fourth summers in a row.

When not competing, the games also provide an opportunity for the teens to experience Jewish programming in an area called “Hang Time” and give back with Tikkun Olam in a program entitled JCC Cares. In Hang Time, teens engage in Israeli culture and lifestyle activities while just relaxing and having fun together.

Through a partnership with the organization, Reading is Fundamental, the teens were asked to bring a new book to be donated to a local Pittsburgh organization, Storymobile. The teens learned about the importance of providing every child the chance to thrive through reading while decreasing the literacy gap.

As a spectator, Waltzer was invited to a variety of events. “I attended a panel at Hillel focused on navigating Jewish life on campus, spent one evening at Jewish Heritage night at the Pittsburgh Pirates Game and listened to a presentation around the global powerhouse S & B Ltd and how they have provided Pitt engineering students with internship opportunities and career mentoring.

“My time in Pittsburgh was more than sports, more than medals won. It was about our community coming together as Team Austin, representing Jewish pride, unity and our incredible teen athletes. I am immensely proud of our teens. In a world where they can spend their time with a variety of organizations, they chose Team Austin and the JCC Maccabi Games. A huge thank you to our Shalom Austin staff for making this happen,” Waltzer said. 

From Childhood Friends toTeammates JCC Maccabi Games Athletes Unite on Team Austin

Student athletes Yuval Yaacob, Alex Weil, Sivan Cohen and Alize Koppel competed in the JCC Maccabi Games in Pittsburgh this year as part of Team Austin. Before leaving for Pittsburgh, they shared inspiring remarks about growing up together in the Jewish community – from attending the Zeifman Family Early Childhood Program to participating in the JCC Maccabi Games.

“You can compare our story to that of the Jews wandering the desert. After not seeing each other for years following preschool graduation we resembled each lost tribe, and Maccabi was our reunion in Israel. After nearly a decade of separation, being brought back together was truly a biblical experience,” Yaacob, Weil, Cohen and Koppel said.

They continued, “Flashback to 2013—back when we were tiny kids in the Donkey class at the ECP. That was the very first time the four of us met, completely unaware of how big a role we’d come to play in each other’s lives—thanks to Maccabi.

“Fast forward to 2023, our first JCC Maccabi Games in Fort Lauderdale. Even after being separated, our bond was as strong as it was back in that Donkey classroom.

“From pushing each other on the playground to pushing each other to be our best selves on and off the court, these past two JCC Maccabi Games have strengthened our bond more than we ever could’ve imagined. Whether it be basketball crashouts, school drama, or long talks about Arch Manning, I can confidently say that our group chat is the first place I turn. And to think none of this would have been possible without Maccabi. So, thank you to our parents for making us sign up.” 

The 2026 JCC Maccabi Games will be in Kansas City and in Austin in 2027. To learn more, contact [email protected].