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T

he JCC Maccabi Games will 
be rolling into town on July 
28 and running until Aug. 2, 
which is the seventh time Detroit has 
hosted the Games, more than any 
other city in the U.S. 
Hosted by The J in West 
Bloomfield, 1,000 volunteers and 400 
host families are needed to work with 
The J’s professional staff to ensure 
that the event goes smoothly. 
No one knows more about the 
passion and effort needed to make the 
Games a reality than Karen Gordon, 
co-chair of the 2024 event alongside 
Franci Silver and Justin Jacobs. 
Gordon’s Maccabi journey started 
back in 1984 when her parents were a 
host family, and she “got hooked” by 
the excitement of the event. 
From 1986 until 1998, Gordon 
coached girls’ softball or boys’ 
basketball — sports her own children 
took part in — then, in 1999, she 
became the Detroit delegation head. 
This is her third consecutive term as 
co-chair. For Gordon, it is all about 
the teens. 
“The event gathers a variety of 
Jews from so many different regions, 
all mixing and mingling, and from 
diverse backgrounds. It’s such a 
beautiful thing to see sports bringing 
them together,” she says. “Some 
participants have no real experience 
of having Jewish families nearby their 
homes — this event really is the only 
opportunity for many kids to have a 
Jewish immersive experience.”
This year’s Games in Detroit will 
involve 1,200 Jewish teens from across 
the globe arriving to play everything 
from basketball, soccer, volleyball and 
baseball to ice-hockey, dance, tennis, 
golf and more. For some, like these 
three talented athletes, their Maccabi 
experience shaped them into the 
young adults they are today. 

BASKETBALL STAR
Central Michigan University 
basketball player Noah Adamczyk, 19, 

got his first taste of a big competition 
at the 2019 JCC Maccabi Games in 
Detroit. Then in eighth grade and 
already playing for a travel team, 
there was still nothing like the 
experience of playing with people 
from all over the country and all 
over the world. “It was so unique and 
felt almost like an Olympic Games 
experience,” he said. “There really 
aren’t many events like Maccabi, 
where you have an opening ceremony 
at Little Caesars and have teams 
marching in.” 
The former four-year varsity 
basketball player at Bloomfield 
Hills High School says his Maccabi 
experience encouraged him to pursue 
basketball. 
“During that week I played well, 
and that really helped build my 
confidence. It showed me that all 
the hard work and practice had paid 
off,” Adamczyk said. “I’d encourage 
every young athlete to sign up for 
the Maccabi Games for an amazing 
experience.” 
Now a freshman at Central 
Michigan University, Adamczyk is 
really enjoying being part of a college 
team though he admits he’s working 
hard. 

TENNIS, ANYONE?
Madison Narens, 23, will be this 
year’s tennis commissioner. It’s a big 
role, but one she is familiar with after 
watching her mom, Lea Narens, in 
the position back in 2019. 
But long before then, Narens was a 
three-year JCC Maccabi athlete, first 
playing in Detroit in 2014, followed 
by Florida and then Connecticut. She 
describes the Games as a “wonderful 
experience,” a chance to be with 
other Jewish teens from all over the 
country, and an opportunity to enjoy 
a competition with less pressure than 
high school. 
“If you play a sport very seriously, 
like I did, it’s more of a fun experience 
than a serious tournament,” she says. 

Madison Narens 
(left) when she 
won the State 
Singles title

Noah Adamczyk 
playing basketball at 
Detroit JCC Maccabi 
Games in 2019

