JCC Maccabi Games coming to Capital Region

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The JCC Maccabi Games, an Olympic-style sporting event for Jewish teens, is coming to the Capital Region in 2017.

A kickoff event was held Sunday at the Sidney Albert Albany Jewish Community Center to promote the games, which is expected to bring more than 700 athletes from around the world to the area. The Maccabi Games are open to Jewish teenagers ages 13-16, and will be held in the Capital Region from Aug. 6 through Aug. 11 of 2017. It is the first time the Capital Region will host the games.

The Maccabi Games is the largest Jewish Youth event in the world. The five-day competition will be held in the Times Union Center in Albany. Sunday’s event featured games, snacks and activities.

Jewish families are able to get involved in Schenectady and the rest of the region by volunteering as host families for the athletes participating next year. Host families are required to take in at least two athletes, and don’t need to be part of the Albany or Schenectady Jewish Community Centers to volunteer.

This year’s Maccabi Games were held in Stamford, Connecticut. The Schenectady and Albany JCCs partner to form a joint delegation that represents the Capital Region in the games.

Reach Gazette reporter Brett Samuels at 395-3113, [email protected] or @Brett_Samuels27 on Twitter.