Well, the 16th Maccabiah Games are over. There wasn't much excitement during the 8 days of competition, few records were broken, and the competitive spirit was not as high as it could have been. Alas, only 40 countries participated this time around.
Much of the blame for this lies with the Palestinians, whose sustained campaign of terror has simply scared away many fair-weather friends from coming to Israel. Tourism is down to levels heretofore unheard of, and many countries chose to keep their Maccabiah teams at home, even though in the end, there was no terrorism affecting the Maccabiah.
The Maccabiah tournament is named for the Maccabees, the Jewish family that re-instilled fighting pride in the Jewish nation, and created a ruling dynasty that lasted over 100 years after it they chased the Greco-Syrian army out of Jerusalem. The tournament is meant to foster the same feelings of pride, competition, and championship among Jewish athletes.
And indeed, many were the heroes who attended the Maccabiah this year. Perhaps foremost among them is US Olympic champion swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg who captured Israeli attention by not only winning two gold medals while injured at the games last week, but also by pointedly absenting himself from the World Swimming Championships in Japan, scheduled for the same time.
Krayzelburg and the other athletes who attended the Maccabiah felt that, this year specifically, they needed to make the point that their Jewish identities, their ties to Israel, and their support for Israel at a time of dire need were more important than personal achievement or the fears they may have been harboring about the security situation.
Others were not so heroic. The downright cowardly attitude of the many athletes and delegations who did not show up is an insult not only to Israel, and not only to themselves and their countries, but to the Jewish spirit that is meant to be represented by the Maccabiah.
This cowardice is not restricted to the athletes, but is also quite prevalent among various organized Jewish groups who have pointedly and publicly cancelled planned trips to Israel this summer due to the security situation. I am reminded of American Reform leader Eric Yoffie - one of the prime American supporters of Oslo during its heyday - who this year cancelled all organized Reform trips to Israel because of the security situation that was caused largely by the policy he so vociferously supported.
And there are others as well. Be they private individuals, organized groups, youth movements, community organizations, or whatever. It is a tremendous chutzpa for Jews outside of Israel, whatever their political affiliation, to demand a voice in Israeli affairs if they don't actively support Israel when needed. If such people cannot find it in themselves to at least visit Israel and show support when the Jewish State is besieged by enemies and beset by world indifference - or antipathy - then they must also allow Israel to fend for itself, without their interference.
The Maccabees of old pulled Israel out of the swamp of self-pity and self-hate in which it had been mired through fearless strength and heroism. They captured the imagination of a nation and reinvigorated the people with hope and promise, and a sense of self-respect.
The Maccabiah represents the same ideals: Jewish strength, Jewish courage, Jewish heroism, and Jewish champioship. Those athletes who came to Israel this summer, whether they won medals or finished last in their events, represent the ideals upon which the State of Israel and the entire Jewish nation must rely if we are to emerge victorious.
Those who stayed behind couldn't be further from those ideals. They have lost more than a chance to have some fun and win some medals. They have lost their sense of Jewish pride, commitment to Israel, and the respect that comes with it. They are indeed losers and do not deserve to be included in a group bearing such a courageous name.
Copyright 2001. Yehuda Poch is a writer living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
