The Maccabiah takes off
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event held in Israel under the auspices of the Maccabi World Union. The first Maccabiah was held in 1932. Its main goals were to prove to the world that the Jewish people can be strong and athletic (in contrary to the image of the Diaspora Jew), to strengthen ties with Jews around the world and to encourage aliyah.
The first Maccabiah was sponsored by the British High Commissioner Arthur Wauchope and was attended by many public figures, including Tel Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. The second Maccabiah was held in 1935, three years after the first, in order to distinguish it from the Olympics. Those Maccabiah events were called “Maccabiot HaAliyah, the “Immigration Maccabiot”, since the participants, especially the ones from Europe, remained in Palestine after the Maccabiah ended.
The first Maccabiah of the State of Israel
Until1950, it was not possible to hold another Maccabiah. The difficult years of the Second World War, the years of struggle against the British Mandate and finally the War of Independence, didn’t allow for the holding of the games. The third Maccabiah was held for the first time in an independent State of Israel and was named the “Liberation Maccabiah”. The Maccabiah’s official flag was hoisted for the first time that year.
The game continues
The fourth Maccabiah was held in 1953, and the one after it, in 1957. The Maccabi organization decided to hold the games every four year in order to receive Olympic recognition. Well-known Jewish athletes participated in the games and improved the level of competition.