With 820 visiting athletes and 200 coaches coming, the entire Jewish community of Kansas City will be affected by the JCC Maccabi Games next week — not just volunteers and host families. Here’s what you need to know:
What’s going on?
The JCC Maccabi Games, the largest Jewish youth sporting event in the world, will be held across the Kansas City metro from Monday, Aug. 3, until Friday, Aug. 7. Attendees are coming from across the United States and internationally, with participants from as far as Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Mexico and Panama. This year’s local delegation is Kansas City’s largest ever.
The Games were established in 1982 and are a signature program of the JCC Association of North America, intended to be a Jewish identity-building experience to strengthen Jewish teens’ connections to global Jewry and build community in celebration of Jewish pride.
The J has been preparing to host the 2026 Games since November of 2024. It hosted once before in 1997, when nearly 800 teens came to compete.
With more than 1,000 people coming and a score of athletic events at multiple locations across the metro, the Maccabi Games posed a logistical challenge requiring significant community support. The community stepped up to the challenge – as of writing, more than 95% of the 1,100 volunteer shifts for Maccabi have been filled, and about 300 families have agreed to house one or more athletes and provide them transportation, hospitality and entertainment.
Jewish Community Campus closures
The J is the center of the Maccabi Games, where all athletes will be dropped off daily. The influx of more than 1,000 people per day for the Maccabi Games has led The J to heavily restrict campus accessibility.
From Monday through Thursday next week, The J’s fitness center will only be open from 6 to 10 p.m. Members will only be allowed to access the campus through its southwestern entrance off 117th Street. The entrance from 115th Street and the southeastern 117th Street road by Andretti’s will be inaccessible to non-Maccabi Games participants during those times.
With few other exceptions, the Jewish Community Campus will be inaccessible for non-Maccabi Games participants during the daytime from Monday, Aug. 3, to Thursday, Aug. 6.
Security
Readers may have noticed that The Chronicle has not reported the location of the opening ceremony or any sports venues besides The J. This is for security purposes. Following the Games, The Chronicle will do a comprehensive recap including location information and coverage of the opening ceremony.
For some venues, attendees will pass through metal detectors. Bag checks will occur at all venues. A clear-bag policy will be in force at the opening ceremony and another large venue.
Each athlete, host, volunteer and staff member will have credentials that they must present to access any facilities. Volunteers, hosts and staff also received background checks and are asked to limit sharing information on social media for the duration of the games.
Host families and volunteers were also required to attend one of four mandatory orientation sessions at The J, where they picked up their credentials and Maccabi Games t-shirts and were informed of the necessary actions and precautions to ensure the Games go smoothly and safely.
Kosher food accessibility
The J has ensured accommodations for athletes and attendees who follow strict kashrut. These athletes were assigned to host family volunteers who indicated that they keep a kosher home.
Additionally, three of Torah Learning Center’s kosher food programs will offer kosher meals throughout the week. The Wandering Table (offering kosher meat meals), Chai Pies (offering kosher pizzas) and Graze by Brachie and Chaya (offering Shabbat meals and more to-go) all have special offerings and hours over the course of next week. See page 4 for more information.
More information about the Maccabi Games is available at jcckcmaccabi.org and on social media, as well as The Chronicle and The J’s custom website at maccabikcgameshub.com.
