Written by Shlomit Ovadia of JCC Denver
Last month, JCC Denver sent its Colorado Delegation to participate in the 2024 JCC Maccabi Games in Houston, for a spectacular week of friendly competition, Jewish unity, and cultural enrichment.
A Denver transplant and mother to JCC Maccabi athlete Eli Cramer, Julie Cramer shares how ecstatic she was to send her middle son, age 16, to the games this summer, to compete in the Boy’s Swimming competition.
“The experience was more than I could have ever imagined,” she says of observing the Games in person with her husband. “Participating and seeing all that goes into it was beyond my imaginations. I can’t envision something better for our children’s lives.”
Julie, her husband, and their three sons moved here from Los Angeles, a city known for its large Jewish communities. Upon moving to Denver, Julie was passionate about continuing to find ways for her children to be inspired.
“The Maccabi games are something I thought would help my kids form a Jewish identity in Denver and also meet other Jewish kids around world,” she explains, “especially in an individual sport like swimming.”
2024 Maccabi Games athletes
All her sons (14, 16, and 17) play different sports: tennis, swimming, and basketball.
Starting in January, the Colorado Delegation members began convening monthly for group bonding activities, including a game and pizza night, movie screening about Jewish athletes, and sports practices. Julie shares how her son Eli—despite being a swimmer—would attend basketball practices, because the group of kids were so friendly and welcoming.
“We had a lot of friends going to the Games in Houston from other states, so attending with my husband was a chance to reconnect,” she says of other parents and visitors from Boca Raton, Dallas, and Nashville.
Between watching various sports games with friends both old and new, and cheering on her son, Julie says that when everyone stood to sing Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah during the opening ceremony, “there was not a dry eye in the house. After October 7, it was a great thing for me and the kids to see, this beautiful moment of supportive Jewish community.”
Since swimming is an individual sport and tends to have less participants, JCC Maccabi Games held relay races across the delegations. “It was really great for Eli to swim with people from different delegations and share the medal with them,” and even told his mother how he plans on staying in touch with his new friends.
Another element that stood out to Julie and her son was the program with access athletes. “Eli was able to compete with these children who have learning and mental differences and I thought was really incredible.”
Of the Games in general, Julie shares that “when kids are encouraging other kids, it’s probably the best way to organically connect [them] with [other] Jewish people.”
2024 Maccabi Games Volleyball Team
Volleyball coach Kirya Jultak’s life came full circle when, after participating in the JCC Maccabi Games as a student athlete many years ago. She returned this summer as a coach for the Girl’s Middle and High School Volleyball.
“It was cool to see the kids interact and observe the things that I used to do, while having genuine competition and being surrounded by friends and other Jews.” Because Kirya works at the Denver Jewish Day School, she was able to recruit 7 of the 8 Colorado Delegation players.
“The girls took [other girls] in, and they all started to form a bond with each other. I’d be sitting as a chaperon, and they were trading pins and clothes and all just hanging out. It was a safe space.”
The whole team afterwords told Kirya they all wanted to attend next year’s games.
“The Games [and sports] are a really good way to reach kids and teach them skills that will carry them into adulthood,” she remarks.
After the Colorado Delegation played, the girls were invited to watch the other teams compete and even participate as line judges for other games. “That was a cool experience as well.”
We’re so proud of our Colorado Delegation Maccabi athletes for representing JCC Denver this past summer! Keep checking our website for updates on next year’s Games.
Congratulations to all the athletes, and special thanks to coaches Mike Kboudi, Max Rosenbloom, and Kirya Jultak. Also, we’d like to give a special thank you to JCC Denver’s Daniel Siegel for organizing the Colorado Delegation.