Maccabiah Games Postponed By One Year Due to Wars in Israel
The Maccabiah Games, the quadrennial event referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” have been postponed by one year due to ongoing conflicts in Israel. The Maccabiah organization announced that due to “Operation Rising Lion,” which began with Israeli air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran last week, the event scheduled to begin July 8, 2025, will now take place in July 2026.
Israel was already involved in a prolonged conflict against terrorist organization Hamas, with fighting centered in the territory of Gaza, but travel to and from the Jewish nation continued until the conflict with Iran started. Since then, all flights in and out of Israel have been halted, rendering the staging of an international sporting event unsafe and impractical.
A statement released from Maccabiah USA read: “Following this morning’s meeting with Maccabi World Union, we unfortunately need to notify the USA delegation that the 2025 Maccabiah has been postponed to the summer of 2026. In making this painful but prudent decision, Maccabi World Union has shown that the safety and well-being of everyone associated with the Maccabiah – athletes, volunteers and spectators – is paramount. Maccabi USA understands and supports Maccabi World Union’s decision, despite the many layers of sadness around its necessity.”
The image posted on the various websites of Maccabiah-affiliated organizations contains the slogan: “Same Values. Same Vision. Just a Little More Time.”
Numerous elite-level swimmers have represented the United States in the Maccabiah Games, including Olympic medalists Lenny Krayzelburg, Scott Goldblatt, Jason Lezak, Garrett Weber-Gale and Anthony Ervin. Lezak swam at the 2009 edition of the meet, one year after his relay anchor heroics produced 400 free relay Olympic gold for the U.S., while Ervin attended the event in 2017, one year after winning his second Olympic gold in the 50 free.