The JCC Association of North America recently went public with a $19.5 million fundraising campaign to scale up its signature youth sports event through 2029. Leaders described the scaling effort as “the boldest expansion in the 44-year history” of the JCC Maccabi Games.

The effort aims to increase annual participation from 2,650 to 4,000 athletes and establish a regular competition in Israel, ensuring any teenager who participates throughout their entire four-year window of eligibility will get to play there.

If successful, this bold expansion will immerse more Jewish teens in Jewish identity, connection and community, the longtime mission of the event. But by adding Israel to the four-year cycle, it will also include Jewish nationhood as a regular part of that mission, according to local JCC leaders.

“This is one of the most exciting entries into Jewish life for young people,” said Alan Scher, CEO of the Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood. “And the last time it happened in Israel, they had the opportunity not only to participate as athletes but there was some travel component and a whole host of activities.”

The JCC Association of North America has already raised $12.45 million out of its $19.5 million goal. Two organizations — the Marcus Foundation, which supports Jewish causes, and the Samueli Foundation, which aims to improve Jewish life — gave $11.25 million of the $12.45 million raised so far.

The Marcus Foundation’s $5 million gift will be invested in the growth of the games on North American soil. The Samueli Foundation’s $6.25 million contribution will be put toward the effort of “bringing the games home to Israel,” as the JCC Association of North America’s announcement stated.

“Its $6.25-million commitment will make possible the return of the JCC Maccabi Israel Games in 2028 — a transformative, immersive experience that will bring together more than 1,000 Jewish teens and more than 500 coaches, delegation heads, volunteers, and JCC professionals from North America, Israel and around the world through sport, Jewish peoplehood, and direct engagement with Israel and its people at a moment when those connections matter more than ever,” the release said.

According to the JCC Association of North America, 59% of the participants in the games do not attend Jewish day school or summer camp. Additionally, recent participant survey data revealed that “96% of athletes feel more connected to the Jewish community, 93% say being Jewish is an important part of their identity, and 91% report greater Jewish pride.”

Scher said the JCC Maccabi Games are “up there with Birthright in terms of impact.” The barrier is cost. Kaiserman and Team Philadelphia brought 168 athletes to the games earlier this summer.

“We could have brought more,” Scher said. “Summer after summer, we’re limited in capacity. We would love to bring upwards of 200-300 young people to participate in the games annually. But spots are limited by the constraints of the model, which is really philanthropically dependent.”

Beth Segal, interim executive director of the Katz JCC in Cherry Hill, has been involved with JCCs for 39 years and Katz since 2015. She said the games “have gotten a little expensive.”

Brian Adler, associate executive director of the Marjorie & Lewis Katz JCC in Margate, said that his organization has not sent a team to the event in more than 10 years.

“Costs have become inordinate for our kids,” he said.

Over the last two years, though, the Marjorie & Lewis Katz JCC has sent teams to the Mini & Junior JCC Maccabi Games for kids ages 9-12, hosted by Kaiserman this year and the Katz JCC in Cherry Hill in 2025. Since that competition is regional and only a drive away, the cost is about $100 per athlete, according to Adler.

But the effort also established a “feeder program,” as Adler described it, for a return to the JCC Maccabi Games in 2027.

“We will start to fundraise against those costs once we find out. We’re organizing the team first,” Adler said.

Any extra money from the initiative will help.

“For us to say to our kids and our parents, ‘We realize the real cost of the games is $2,500. However, we received a grant from the JCC Maccabi Games, so our costs are only going to be $1,500’ — that’s huge. We don’t want finances to be a barrier,” Adler said.

In 2026, the JCC Maccabi Games hosted between 900 and 1,500 athletes across two cities, Toronto and Kansas City, according to Scher. At the Pittsburgh games four years ago, around 2,400 athletes competed.

“The movement could be doing three of those. The possibility is there for communities like Philadelphia to work with the JCC Association to expand the supply,” Scher said. “And doing it in Israel, that’s even more impactful.”

jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com