THE

The 1990 Youth Games will
help solidify a sporting
movement for North
American Jewish
teenagers.

ALAN HITSKY

A 1984 volleyball match.

T

he Jewish Commu-
nity Centers - North
American Maccabi
Games had a turning
point in Detroit in 1984. The
potential exists for next
week's return visit to Detroit
to be as important a mile-
stone for the eight-year-old
Jewish athletic movement.
In 1982, Israeli shaliach
Uri Schaefer planted the
seed for the Youth Games,
convincing his Memphis,
Tennessee, host community
to hold an Israel Maccabiah
style event. Detroit, led by
1984 and 1990 Games
Chairman Jay Robinson and
the Detroit Jewish Com-
munity Center's Dr. Morton
Plotnick and Dr. Marty
Oliff, had the largest
visiting delegation at the
Memphis Games —35-40
athletes.
Some 325 athletes par-
ticipated in Memphis, and
the Detroiters came away

THE JEWISH NEWS

27676 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI 48034

Section editor:
Alan Hitsky

Art director:
Deb Branner

Photographer:
Glenn Triest

M-2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1990

with a dream to expand the
competition and the feelings
of camaraderie and Klal
Yisrael. Dr. Plotnick con-
vinced his JCC board to host
the second Youth Games in
1984 in Detroit, convinced
Mr. Robinson to chair the
undertaking, and began a
national campaign to
publicize it.
"Mort saw it as something
greater than an athletic
competition," said Lenny
Rubin, assistant dirctor of
the national Jewish Com-
munity Centers Association
in New York. "He pushed it
at the annual JCC exec-
utives meetings in 1983 and
at every national JCC
meeting."
Meanwhile, skeptical
Detroiters were hearing Mr.
Robinson project 1,000
athletes for the Detroit
games. "Why do 300 when
we could have the same im-
pact on 1,000 kids?" Mr.
Robinson recalled recently.
"Mort and Marty were
pushing it. (Local Maccabiah
supporter) Max Sheldon was
pushing it and promised to
raise the money."
And Detroit achieved the
goal,' with 500 Jewish
families hosting 950
athletes, including foreign
delegations, for a week of
athletic competition and so-
cial activities.
The 1984 Games set a pat-

tern. In 1985, Columbus,
Ohio, hosted a smaller, re-
gional event similar to
Memphis. In 1986, Toronto
doubled Detroit's total of
athletes, providing competi-
tion for 2,000 Jewish teens.

The next summer, in 1987,
Miami and Cleveland hosted
smaller, regional games
which are becoming the pat-
tern of the future.
Two thousand athletes
participated in Chicago in

1988. Pitsburgh hosted a re-
gional event in 1989. Detroit
will welcome between 2,100
and 2,200 athletes Sunday
night at the opening
ceremonies at the Palace of
Auburn Hills.

AARON
WEITZMAN

SARA
KOLODIN

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ON THE FIELD

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