St. Louisans who made the trip to represent Team USA at this year’s Maccabiah Games in Israel were guaranteed to come away with great memories but some also carried home top honors.

“We did really well. We went undefeated 5-0 and won the gold medal,” said Daniel Reuben, one of two members from the Gateway City slated to play on the junior division hockey team.

The 18-year-old, who plays right-wing, was named team captain for the squad, which defeated Canada 5-2 in the final game to take the top slot in the three-team division.

“It was amazing,” he said. “Every game was fun and the hockey was good.”

After receiving the medal, the teens broke out into a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“Our team got really close over those three weeks. I know I’ll keep in touch with them forever,” Reuben said.

There also were tourism opportunities for the young athletes. Reuben said he particularly enjoyed visiting the Dead Sea and seeing Masada.

“I had actually never heard the story of Masada before I went but hearing the story for the first time and touring it the same day was really special,” he said.

His teammate, Jacob Lefton, a student at MICDS, said via email that he was thrilled to take part in events both on and off the ice.

“Participating in the Maccabiah Games was an unbelievable experience that I will carry with me always,” he wrote. “I really enjoyed touring Israel and being able to see so many different parts of the country.”

He said the most meaningful aspect was his visit to the Old City and seeing the Kotel for the first time. He also enjoyed the friendships he made. 

“Playing with those guys was a blast and being able to bring home the gold was just an amazing feeling,” the 17-year-old Shaare Emeth congregant wrote.

Reuben and Lefton’s older counterparts in the four-team master’s division didn’t get the gold but they did manage to become an important part of history. Kol Rinah congregant Aaron Vickar, 41, was told Team USA’s opener against Canada was the first ice hockey game ever played in the city of Jerusalem.

“Out of thousands of years of history, there has been one first ice hockey game and we were it,” said the Olivette resident who played defense.

The squad lost that game in a shootout and ultimately managed a bronze medal from the event. Vickar said that he had previously done most of the tourist sites during a visit three years ago and wanted to see relatives this time while relaxing in Jerusalem.

“Being able to spend both Shabbases with family in Israel was really a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a great trip.”

He said all of it was memorable.

“When you are on the ice, you are playing hockey,” said Vickar, who makes his living as a wealth advisor. “Any athlete knows that when you are in the moment, you are in the moment but when you take a step back you say ‘Wow, we’re in Jerusalem’ or you go outside and realize you are 10 minutes from the Old City playing hockey.”

Greg Busch, 47, was a forward on the team. The experience marked his first time in Israel. He said he was proud his team scored the first ice hockey goal ever in such a special place.

“From a hockey standpoint, that was pretty awesome,” he added.

Busch, a Chesterfield resident who works in television production, said the camaraderie on the squad was something special. 

“To put on a jersey that has USA on the front and play to represent your country was incredible,” said the Shaare Emeth congregant.

David Roberts, a 37-year-old basketball player from Chesterfield, said his team also picked up a bronze in the masters division but two teammates were able to walk away with something even better.

“One of the highlights for our team personally was that two of my teammates had not been bar mitzvahed when they were younger so they were able to be bar mitzvahed during the week of competition,” said Roberts, who played small forward. “We went to the Western Wall.”

Roberts, a Central Reform congregant who owns a debt relief company, said the competition in the eight-team masters division was tough but the experience was wonderful. The Israeli team eventually emerged with the gold.

“From an athletics standpoint and a cultural standpoint, it is well worth the opportunity,” he said.

Olivia Silverman, a Cincinnati native currently studying at St. Louis University, was also slated to play in the games. Her women’s soccer team took the silver medal in the open division.