Ryan Boker on Maccabi
By Nathan Fensterheim
Bolded: Nathan
Unbolded: Ryan
Bolded: Nathan
Unbolded: Ryan
What year was this for you at Maccabi?
This was my fourth year at the JCC Maccabi Games.
What sport did you compete in? Who were your coaches?
I played basketball on the 16U(ages 15-16) Chicago team. Our coaches were Saul Shaoul and Marc Levinson.
What was the opening ceremony like?
They announced each delegation one by one and we walked out. Then, they had a small speech and showed us a video of the Munich 11, the killing of 11 Israeli olympians by terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. There were other speakers and a performance.
Did you do any activities involving Chesed?
Yes, Maccabi has this program called JCC Cares, similar to NBA Cares. Basically, every year we participate in a Chesed project. This year, we used old jeans to cut shoe patterns for children in Uganda.
What impact has Maccabi had on your Judaism?
Maccabi showed me that even if another person is not as religious as you or not religious at all, we are still all Jews and got to stick together.
Would you recommend it for next year?
Yes, I would 100% recommend it for people next year. I believe Maccabi is not only great for sports and for improvement, but also for bonding and making connections with friends‒not only with your teammates from your own city but with kids from other teams throughout the continent and Israel.
This was my fourth year at the JCC Maccabi Games.
What sport did you compete in? Who were your coaches?
I played basketball on the 16U(ages 15-16) Chicago team. Our coaches were Saul Shaoul and Marc Levinson.
What was the opening ceremony like?
They announced each delegation one by one and we walked out. Then, they had a small speech and showed us a video of the Munich 11, the killing of 11 Israeli olympians by terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. There were other speakers and a performance.
Did you do any activities involving Chesed?
Yes, Maccabi has this program called JCC Cares, similar to NBA Cares. Basically, every year we participate in a Chesed project. This year, we used old jeans to cut shoe patterns for children in Uganda.
What impact has Maccabi had on your Judaism?
Maccabi showed me that even if another person is not as religious as you or not religious at all, we are still all Jews and got to stick together.
Would you recommend it for next year?
Yes, I would 100% recommend it for people next year. I believe Maccabi is not only great for sports and for improvement, but also for bonding and making connections with friends‒not only with your teammates from your own city but with kids from other teams throughout the continent and Israel.