Maccabiada Sports Conference Revitalizes Lithuanian Jewish Youth

In a twist of fate, twenty-three year old Tomas' passion for sports has led him back to his Jewish roots. Although Tomas and his family are Jewish, they had little connection to Jewish practice or Jewish life. Then, Tomas' friend told him about the Lithuanian Maccabiada – a national sports competition for young Jewish athletes and convinced him to participate on behalf of his town, Kaunas. Tomas' enthusiasm not only won him a medal for disc-throwing – despite a broken hand he suffered in an earlier basketball competition – but also won him many new Jewish friends.

The national Jewish sports convention, Maccabiada, held in Siaulai, Lithuania combines traditional Jewish observance and Jewish learning with sports competitions and recreation. This forum creates a unique opportunity for Jewish students, ages 18 to 30, to connect and to strengthen their ties to the Jewish community. Eighty students, male and female, participate in the weekend-long retreat, which includes a full range of physical and intellectual competitions – including basketball, volleyball, aerobics, ping-pong, billiards, chess and Israeli dance, a spiritual Havdalah service, and visits to local sites of historical Jewish significance. During the event, delegates from each city's Jewish sports club form new friendships and strengthen their Jewish identity while competing against each other in the various sports events.

The Jewish sports clubs, initiated in response to a simple need within the Jewish community for access to athletic facilities, have become a vibrant part of Jewish life in Lithuania. For example, every Sunday, Jewish community members, from age 3 to 55, meet at a Vilna sports hall for swimming, basketball, and a wide variety of other activities. For students at the well-regarded Sholom Aleichem School, the sports club fills a gap created by the lack of comprehensive sports facilities at their school. The programs serve as a relaxing way for community members to get to know other Jews, while improving their health and fitness. For those not yet active in the community, the clubs serve as a non-threatening welcome into Jewish communal life. The enormous success of the first Maccabiada was testimony to the popularity of the clubs and to the strong feelings of unity and shared history among Lithuania's Jews.

While learning has always played a central role in Jewish life, particularly in Lithuania, there is an urgent need in today's Jewish community for programming and events that appeal to young, unaffiliated Jews. The various clubs comprising the Maccabiada Sports Program are a key element in attracting these individuals to the community. This important opportunity also enables Jewish community members to improve their physical health through classes and activities while enjoying the company of other Jews. In addition, the warm atmosphere of the clubs makes them an ideal place to introduce ideas in Jewish thought and history, especially at weekend conventions and retreats.

The Maccabiada experience was so powerful that Tomas subsequently began attending Jewish Student Union activities on Friday nights, despite the long distances he has to travel from his home. In addition, the Shabbat experience and visits to Jewish sites introduced Tomas to a world he had not previously known. Now Tomas has become so involved in the Jewish community that he coaches a team in his local Jewish sports club for other competitive games. At the Maccabiada, Tomas did not only play sports – he reconnected with his Jewish heritage and found a community.