From July 31 through Aug. 5, more than 1,000 Jewish teen athletes from across the world gathered in St. Louis for the 2016 JCC Maccabi Games. Teens ages 12-16 from North America, Israel and Panama participated in a variety of team and individual sports. The week of the Maccabi Games includes not only athletics, but community service, social time, and of course, meeting new friends from across the world.

The JCC Maccabi Games is so special to many athletes due to the friendships that are built with other Jewish teens. Not only is there time to compete, but there is also plenty of free time, which gives athletes time to meet new people from other delegations.

“My favorite part of Maccabi is meeting people and playing sports, and down-time with both my team and new friends is also fun,” said 16U Baseball player Daniel Shabsin, an incoming junior at Crossroads College Preparatory School and a member of Congregation Shaare Emeth.

The friendships made at Maccabi are unique because athletes share a common interest of sports in addition to Judaism bringing them closer together. When teens play sports for their school or local team, it may be simply a sport, but Maccabi has the ability to connect athletes to Judaism as well.

“Maccabi brings Jewish teens together because everyone has a common interest of sports and Judaism,” said Koby Hartman, another 16U Baseball player who is an incoming junior at Parkway North High School and member of Central Reform Congregation.

Although the games are a place for healthy competition, there continues to be a friendly atmosphere because many athletes are participating just to have fun.

“Even though it gets competitive, at the end of the day everybody is still on the same team,” said Noah Pines, a Flag Football player who will is entering the eighth grader at Parkway Northeast Middle School and is member of United Hebrew Congregation.

Many athletes participate in the games more than once. Lili Toledano, 16U Girls Basketball player, incoming freshman at Ladue Horton Watkins High School and member of Congregation Shaare Emeth participated in her second JCC Maccabi Games this past week because of her positive experience at the 2015 Maccabi Games in Milwaukee, Wisc.

“I decided to participate in the Maccabi games this year again because I loved meeting new people from all over the world and playing different teams from all over the world,” Lili said.

The games give athletes the opportunity to make lifelong memories, and that is what makes Maccabi so meaningful to the teens who participate. The memorable experiences are what bring athletes back to the games year after year.

“I think the friendships make Maccabi so memorable and also meeting new people, staying in touch with them, and seeing how there are many other Jewish teens just like me,” Lili said.

Maccabi is a unique event because although it brings Jewish teens together similar to summer camp or youth groups, it is specifically for teens who love to play sports and want to meet other Jewish athletes. It is a week filled with friendly competition, good sportsmanship, and, of course, friendships that last a lifetime.