It's the Jewish Olympics! They are a bit like the Commonwealth Games, in that they are a subset of international sporting competition in the sense that they are not quite the Olympics. Held every four years in Israel, the Maccabiah is open to Jewish athletes from around the world and all Israelis regardless of religion (so Arab Israelis can win medals). Still, casual observation (reading the newspaper) suggests many athletes are drawn to the games to be among people with a common (Jewish) identity (that's what the athletes say).
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| Maccabiah 2013 flags |
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| Sidewalk stencils |
This, the 19th Maccabiah Games, opened Thursday night and will run until July 30th. With some 9000 athletes representing 78 countries this is a pretty major sporting event. Bibi and Shimon were at the opening ceremonies, I wasn't. Reports from Teddy Stadium note that Bibi was able twice in his speech to state that Jerusalem is Israel's "eternal and undivided capital". This is a phrase he uses frequently (if you've listened to his speeches in the US you've heard this). So, we're clear on Bibi's starting point for any peace discussions on the status of Jerusalem. On that front, Bennett is still in the coalition. To Washington we go, next week. Just don't anybody hold her breath...
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