Israel’s incursion into Gaza in late December had an unexpected effect on the Maccabi sports movement.
Maccabi Canada has been swamped with hundreds of calls from athletes who want to compete in the Maccabiah Games this summer, said Leon Elfassy.
Elfassy heads Maccabi Canada’s National Athletic Committee (NAC), responsible for having the final say on who competes.
“It’s been unbelievable. It’s totally different than in 2001,” he said.
That was the year when, as the result of the second intifadah and terrorist attacks in Israel, Canada came within a hair’s-breadth of not participating at all.
“We were getting hundreds of phone calls to cancel,” Elfassy said. “People were concerned, questioning.” The number of athletes who eventually did go was significantly reduced. Violence just days before the Games and fear of violence contributed to keeping participants away.
“Now we’re getting calls of support. ‘How can we help? What can we do?’” Elfassy said
The difference in the community’s attitude, he readily acknowledged, probably lies in the timing. This time, six months still remain until the July 12 start, and the Israeli operation is expected to be over long before that.
“If this had happened in June, a month before the Games, it might have had a different impact,” Elfassy said.
The surge in demand to compete at the Games stands out all the more in light of the fact that several Maccabiah events are slated to take place in areas of southern Israel, within range of rockets and missiles from Gaza, such as Ashdod. Elfassy said that it’s a sign of just how confident people are that it will all be over by then.
In any case, he said that that while team sports have quotas on the number of athletes competing, increased support for the Games in Canada coming out of the Gaza situation will translate into more individuals competing, especially in the master’s category (over age 35) in such sports as swimming, golf and tennis.
As things stand, Canada is due to send a record number of more than 450 Jewish amateur athletes to the 18th, “chai” edition of the Maccabiah Games, as well as 100 or so coaches, managers, trainers and medical staff, for a total of about 550 – another record.
Elfassy said Canada has a good shot at medals in wrestling, softball, junior baseball, rhythmic gymnastics, cycling, soccer and golf. Montreal golfer Daniel Knight is only a teen, but is so good he’ll play on the men’s “open” golf team instead of with the juniors.
“It will all be at a very high level,” Elfassy said. “We have six soccer teams going, six basketball teams, three softball, two volleyball, rugby, baseball. It’s the first time we have numbers like that.”
Elfassy noted that it costs $7,500 to send each athlete to Israel, and competitors are expected to raise the money for their trips.
For Elfassy, the jump in support for the Maccabiah Games coming through all those telephone calls is an affirmation of Jews all being part of “one family.”
“Now everyone wants to help,” he said.
For more information about the Maccabiah Games, visit maccabicanada.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 416-398-0515.
