Shoe designer gifts $1 million to Maccabi USA

Money to help fund team’s participation in July’s Maccabiah Games in Israel

By Gil Shefler 22 February 2013, 8:49 am 2 Edit

A red high heel pump (photo credit: Almighty1/Wikimedia Commons)

NEW YORK (JTA) — Shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, a former member of the US Maccabiah Games table tennis team, donated $1 million to Maccabi USA.

In announcing the gift on Thursday, Maccabi USA said the money would go to help fund the US team’s participation in the Maccabiah Games in Israel in July as well as other commitments.

Weitzman, who founded Stuart Weitzman Shoes, a high-end footwear company, said his participation in the 2009 games as a member of the US team was “one of the greatest experiences” of his life.

“After experiencing the Games myself, I saw how Maccabi USA changes the lives of the athletes by enhancing their connection to their Jewish culture and heritage,” Weitzman said in a statement.

Ron Carner, the president of Maccabi USA, said Weitzman “is a dynamic human being who cares very much about the future of the Jewish community. He is a terrific table tennis athlete, too!”

The Maccabiah is an Olympics-style competition held every four years in Israel.