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PHOTO BY GLENN TRIEST

LISA JENKS.

letes, 500 coaches and team of- games last seven days in order
ficials, as well as countless par- to accommodate a Shabbat ex-
ents and other visitors in 1998.
perience. He hopes to expand on
The week-long event has an es- Detroit's partnership with area
timated budget of $1 million.
synagogues at the 1990 games
In 1990, Detroit raised more to have Shabbat luncheons or
than $500,000 through corpo- dinners in 1998.
rate sponsorships to
It will be the first
help pay for staff, ath-
time since Baltimore
The S habbat
letic.officials and venues, experien ce in 1990 hosted the 1992 games
and Maccabi nights at was an important that Shabbat has been
the Detroit Zoo, Bob-Lo
fac tor.
built into the Maccabi
Island and the JCC. The
schedule.
sponsorship and patrons
'We pushed real hard
program, organized by the JCC's on that one," Mr. Sorkin said.
Dr. Morton Plotnick, has been - "The Shabbat experience is piv-
repeated at every subsequent otal." Mr. Robinson believes it is
North American and regional important to both the teen ath-
Maccabia.
letes and the hundreds of host
Asked why Detroit volun- families.
teered again, Mr. Robinson re-
Mr. Robinson also sought to
sponded, "Because the games make Detroit the exclusive Mac-
are good for the kids and the cabi site in 1998. In recent years,
community. And we can do it be- the large North American games
cause we can do it. And we have have been split between two
the people, resources and the cities to make the event more
community that can do it."
manageable. The off-year re-
Mr. Sorkin said the event con- gional games have been divided
nects people to the JCC who into several sites throughout the
have previously not been in-
1990s; in August 1997, six cities
volved.
will host regional games: Hart-
The awarding of the games to ford, Kansas City, Milwaukee,
Detroit came after months of Pittsburgh, Sarasota and Seat-
negotiations with the national tle. Detroit is likely to send sep-
Jewish Community Centers As- arate teams to Milwaukee and
sociation (JCCA). Mr. Sorkin Pittsburgh.
and Detroit JCC president Har-
As the exclusive site for the
ry Eisenberg attended the 1996 North American games in 1990,
games in New Jersey last Au- Detroit hosted nearly 60 dele-
gust to discuss the issues.
gations, with 10 coming from
"It was like a new franchise," Europe, Latin America, Russia,
Mr. Robinson said. "There were Australia and Israel.
lots of details to work out. It
Because of earlier public-
came down to who had the au- school" starting dates in the
thority to plan certain parts of South, Charleston, S.C., will
the games, and because of our host 500 Maccabi athletes in ear-
experience we wanted to keep ly August 1998. The North
that authority here."
American games in Detroit will
Other sticking points were the run Aug. 17-24.
structure of some of the sports,
"There are advantages and
the finances and JCCA's role. "In disadvantages to one site and to
the end," Mr. Sorkin said, "it multiple sites," said Mr. Sorkin.
came down to a bunch of noth- "One site is great, but multiple
ing."
sites allow smaller communities
Added Mr. Robinson, "JCCA to host.
is trying to set itself up for the
"Given Detroit's history to host
future and how it relates to the a quality games, this was an op-
different cities. This is Detroit's portunity to do it again. Detroit
third time — we put issues on will be on the main stage to focus
the table that no one else would these games for the future.
even think about."
"After all, this is the largest
One of those issues was Mr. Jewish youth event in the
Robinson's insistence that the world." ❑