After two weeks, Maccabiah Games close with awards ceremony, visit to Western Wall

The Maccabiah Games concluded last night with a closing ceremony held at Expo Tel Aviv, after 5,000 Jewish athletes from 40 countries participated in the two-week competition widely known as the Jewish Olympics.

During the ceremony, the main awards of the Games were presented, and the Maccabiah torch — lit at the opening ceremony on July 1 — was extinguished in a video presentation by Olympic medalist and Maccabiah ambassador Artem Dolgopyat.

Earlier in the day, about 1,200 Maccabiah participants of various ages celebrated bar and bat mitzvahs at the Western Wall, as part of a special event by the Maccabiah, Keren Kayemet LeIsrael and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

“Beyond sports, there was a real encounter between Diaspora Jews and the State of Israel and the people here,” said Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar. “The athletes return home with memories and experiences and a new connection with the State of Israel.”