World Maccabiah Games blends Jewish identity, sports

Travis Warech had to admit, "The Jewish sports world, even more so the Jewish basketball world is pretty tight knit. Most people have no idea it exists." But Warech, a 26-year-old from Pine Brook, has been part of that small community for more than a decade.

Since age 12 or 13, his summers had been filled with tryouts, practices, and competitions at the Jewish Community Center Games. As Warech grew in basketball, "those tryouts became national tryouts" taking him to Toronto, Argentina and Berlin.

Warech is part of Team USA basketball at the 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel this month.

"It's not like a college season. It's not like a professional season. It's a tough little thing, but it's usually fun," said Warech, who has played professionally in Germany for four years.

"There's pressure, because you are representing the U.S., and we're supposed to be dominant in the sport. … I'm definitely going with the goal to come home with the gold. For sure, the rest of the trip – immersing yourself in the culture – in the grand scheme of things, is probably more important than the actual games."

There are 1,126 Jewish athletes and coaches from 42 states on Team USA, joining more than 10,000 from 80 countries. Many of the junior- and open-level Americans spent a week touring Israel on a Birthright-style trip, with training sessions added to the itinerary.

Though competition in some sports began Tuesday, the Opening Ceremonies will be July 6. Most open and masters events will be in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with the juniors in Haifa.

"For many people, it's life-changing," said Matthew Halpern of Montville, the executive director of Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston, and a Team USA accommodations manager.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to go to Israel and to compete. Most of these people will never make it to the Olympics. But this is a good opportunity for them to have that experience, and do it in a way that captures some level of their Judaism and creates friendships that truly last a lifetime."

Halpern competed at the Maccabiah Games in Israel three times, as well as in Australia, as part of the tenpin bowling delegation. A member of the Maccabi USA board of directors, he went to Berlin for the European Maccabiah Games as an accommodations manager, focusing "on helping the athletes get what they need, so they can focus on what they need to do and have a good time."

Jeff Bukantz, a former Olympic fencer from Montville, is the Maccabiah USA committee general chairman. Max Weinstein of Pine Brook, will play juniors chess.

The movement was launched in 1985, with the formation of the first all-Jewish Maccabi athletic club in Constantinople. The first Maccabiah Games was held in 1932, with nine Americans among the 390 athletes from 14 countries. Every four years, the so-called "Jewish Olympics" is held in Israel.

"We're not just traveling and we're not just training," said Chelsea Kramer of New Vernon, who is part of the open women's field hockey team. "We have time to get to know each other on and off the field. … I just want to have fun with it, play, score some goals. I figure I'll never play in a place like this again, soak it in. I think it'll help me really grow as a player and mature."

Staff writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@gannettnj.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/