A Surprise Wedding at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem

The 2017 Maccabiah Games are underway in Israel, having started on July 4 and running through July 18. 

The Maccabiah Games are open to Jewish athletes from around the world, and to all Israeli citizens regardless of their religion. A total of 10,000 athletes are competing, a Maccabiah Games record, making the 2017 Maccabiah Games the third-largest sporting competition in the world (after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup).

The athletes are from 85 countries, also a record^. Countries represented for the first time include the Bahamas, Cambodia, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Malta, Morocco, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Trinidad. The athletes are competing in 45 sports.

At the games, Canadian ice hockey team member Avi Steinberg was asked to come to the stage together with his girlfriend Rachel Dixon, who just completed her year and a half of studies for her conversion to Judaism.

Rachel thought they would only be reenacting their engagement, but the event planners surprised her with a surprise wedding on international television! 

Mazal tov!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

19th Maccabiah, Largest Sporting Event in Jewish History, Comes to a Close in Jerusalem

 

Every four years since 1932, thousands of Jewish and Israeli athletes from 65 countries including Mongolia, Luxembourg, Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, and Zimbabwe, have gathered in Israel to participate in the Maccabiah Games.

Last month an especially festive celebration marked 80 years since the first games were held. The opening ceremony took place on July 17, and the games ran from July 18 through July 30.

The Maccabiah is the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition, emphasizing the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of the Jewish people. "The Jewish Olympics" as they are often called, are the Maccabi World Union's largest and most famous enterprise. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added jokingly that this is the best dating gathering in the Jewish world.

Last year we posted two videos on the origins and history of the Maccabiah Games and a tribute to the 80 years of games.

 

Today we're sharing a JN1 TV report on the opening ceremony, including interviews with Jewish athletes from all over the world, all expressing joy and anticipation as they prepared to march into Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.  

 

So who won the most medals? Here's the final count.

 

1	Israel	150	135	123	411
2	United States	77	60	59	196
3	Hungary	3	1	1	5
4	Canada	2	3	4	9
5	Azerbaijan	2	0	1	3
6	South Africa	1	3	8	12
7	Australia	1	3	4	8
8	Russia	1	0	6	7
9	Germany	1	0	4	5
7	Georgia	0	2	3	5
8	Australia	0	1	2	3
9	Netherlands	0	1	0	1
10	Cuba	0	0	2	2
11	Great Britain	0	0	1	1
	Ukraine	0	0	1	1
	Brazil	0	0	1	1

 

Enjoy!

 

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)