Kansas City recently hosted the Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style tournament that drew 1,000 Jewish athletes from across the country and around the world. The event, which took place from July 31 to August 7, featured team sports such as soccer, basketball, and flag football, as well as individual sports like tennis, swimming, and dance.

Local Participation

Of the 1,000 athletes who participated, 114 were from Kansas City. Teens ages 13 to 17 came from places as far away as San Diego, Philadelphia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Israel. The Jewish Community Center, which hosted the event, raised $1.5 million to support the Games.

Overland Park resident Traci Klein opened her home to two boys from St. Louis for the week. She took them to see the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, to play golf at Tap-Ins, and for food at Betty Rae’s and Whataburger. Thirteen-year-old Evan Schlozman of Overland Park supported his Maccabi basketball team from the sidelines after getting injured right before the Games started.

Athlete Experiences

Drew Goldberg, 15, played tennis as part of the Philadelphia delegation. This was his third time in the Maccabi Games, though he’d played soccer at the last two. For him, the Games are a celebration of being Jewish and build his Jewish character. He said he would do this the rest of his life if he could and has already decided to coach when he’s older.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.