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JCC Maccabi Games: A Gift

T

hree years ago, I described the
JCC Maccabi Games in an earlier
piece I wrote for the Jewish News.
Back then, I described it as a gift you
can't buy and one you may never replace.
Now, three years
later, I feel more
strongly about
the Games than
ever. For the third
consecutive year, I
had the privilege
of coaching one of
the boys' baseball
teams with my
good friend Harry
Glanz.
This year, we
coached the 16U
Detroit team.
Expectations were
very high for our squad. For the first four
games, we did not disappoint. We dis-
patched all foes with relative ease and sur-
gical precision, using outstanding pitching,
great defense and timely hitting. We won
those four games against San Francisco,
Greater Washington, Chicago and Orange
County by a combined score of 43-9.
Then it happened. In the first game of
the seed round, we were soundly beaten
by Greater Washington. Our timely hitting
had disappeared and simple plays became
an adventure. The coaches as well as our
boys were sorely disappointed. As a team,
we felt we let down our supporters and
ourselves. In the post-game discussion,
Coach Glanz reminded all of us of what we
had said from our very first practice: "Hey,
Bro, it's Maccabi:'

It is Maccabi indeed. Maccabi is much
bigger and better than any game or meet
played on any field or court. Maccabi is
about Jewish pride. It's about opening cer-
emonies speeches. It is about the power
of the remarks from a daughter of one of
the men killed in the Munich Olympics.
She wondered why her dad and the other
10 athletes killed are not acknowledged at
each and every Olympic Games.
Part of the commitment from the ath-
letes is to participate in a Day Of Caring
and Sharing. Athletes and coaches do
community volunteering or work on an
educational project. The Detroit baseball
players got an education.
While we were still licking our wounds
from our loss on the baseball diamond,
we learned we were assigned to visit the
Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington
Hills. In that brief visit, we learned more
than all of us ever knew about the 6 mil-
lion who perished in Adolf Hitler's fur-
naces of hate. It was there all of us met a
lovely woman, small in stature, but larger
than life, Monia Salinger. As a survivor, she
told us her story and shared excerpts from
her new book, Looking Back. We heard of
how Monia was taken in Poland in 1939
at age 15 by the Nazis, and how her fam-
ily members were murdered by Hitler's
henchmen.
Her tale of survival and her journey to
America inspired our players and coaches
alike. We could have listened to her stories of
courage and grace for hours.
Our visit to the Holocaust museum gave
us perspective and solitude. The Aug. 17-
21 Games were secondary. Our Jewish his-
tory and sharing with each other are what

Question: Are Answer
Tones different than Ringtones?

the games are about. It should always
stay that way. The 9-3 loss to Greater
Washington, the awarding of the silver
medal winner, was even less important
than before for the boys and for me.
As we left the museum, both my friend
Harry and I were shaken yet not naive to
the fact that the massacre of our people
happened less than 75 years ago. We talked
briefly about how many world leaders
would like to see Jews suffer an identical
fate once again. This is why Monia and
others like her must keep telling their
stories.
Finally, Detroit had a chance to shine
as the host city for the 2008 JCC Maccabi
Games. Shine it did. From opening cer-
emonies at the Palace of Auburn Hills with
a great speech by the legendary Olympic
swimmer Mark Spitz to the Thursday
evening "A Fair To Remember" hosted by
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit at the Michigan State Fairgrounds,
the Detroit Jewish community opened its
arms to more than 2,700 young men and
women from around the world.
We made everyone feel welcome. Isn't
this what being a Jew is about? Harold
Friedman and his great group of organiz-
ers and planners should be applauded for
superb planning and execution.
The JCC Maccabi Games are indeed
a gift, whether you are a coach, a player,
a host family, a volunteer or spectator. Is
there a better way for tikkun olam (repair
of the world)? ❑

Answer: Yes, Answer Tones
are different than Ringtones.

Ringtones are what you hear from
your phone when someone calls
you. Answer Tones are what your
caller hears when they call your
phone, in place of the standard
ringing sound. Ringtones are
downloaded to your phone and
stored within the handset. Answer
Tones are stored on a network in
a personal "library" that you can
access and manage via the web or
Media Net.

Question: What is the cost
for downloading ringtones and
graphics?

Answer:

All ringtones and
graphics are charged as a one-time
fee (charges vary dependinc, on the
carrier.) Once you download them,
they're yours for an unlimited time.
You will also be charged for the
number of kilobytes or minutes
used for the download. Please
visit one of our locations for some
expertise from one of our cellular
expertz.

Mort Meisner is a Huntington Woods resident.

Games To Remember

Irving Osterer, Sheila Stanislawski
Special Commentary

Ottawa

W

hen we discovered that
our 14-year-old son had a
chance to compete in the
JCC Maccabi Games, we encouraged
him to make the best of the opportunity.
Although our city did not have the
numbers to field an under-14 baseball
team, in the true spirit of the Maccabi
movement, the Jewish Community

Center in Toronto included our son, as
well as another boy from Youngstown,
Ohio, on their roster.
My wife and I decided to make the
trip to Metro Detroit to watch the games,
and we are so happy that we did. For
our boy, it was a wonderful opportunity
to experience the pride of the Jewish
people that he has never had before.
All the athletes were billeted in wel-
coming Jewish homes. The Games were
facilitated by enthusiastic volunteers with
bright orange T-shirts, who assisted the
large contingent of parents and specta-
tors. We found that the West Bloomfield

001M1

I

community was energized by the event.
We were greeted warmly in shopping
centers, restaurants and at our hotel.
We are particularly indebted to your
Joel Jacob, who provided our son and
three other Canadian baseball players
with wonderful accommodation and was
kind enough to greet parents at his sum-
mer home one evening. He gave all of
us some insight into the Detroit Jewish
community and its proud history.
The Detroit Jewish community did an
outstanding job with all aspects of the
Games and deserves high praise for its
efforts! Yasher koach, Motown! ❑

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September 4 • 2008

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