Maccabi’s 90th Celebrations Continue to Hit the Mark

The 90th Anniversary continues to be marked by many outstanding events, sporting and social. This past weekend the celebrations continued in Victoria where some 260 open and junior athletes from NSW and Victoria battled it out over a jammed packed Sunday of netball, basketball and football. Twenty separate contests were fought out, and almost all of them were close encounters. Those involved were glowing in their feedback as interstate rivalry was back in full swing. In the end, Victoria took out the 90th Anniversary Cup 11 games to 8, with one draw.

Here is a wrap of the sporting events.

Netball – NSW 4 d VIC 2 – NSW defeated VIC in both the U14 and Open categories, but the VIC U16s redeemed team VIC a little in these closely fought contests.

Basketball – the basketball saw the VICs take a clean sweep. The U16 Boys and the Open Men’s Games all came down to the wire, but the Victorians managed to take the lead at the pivotal moment in each of these games.

Football – again NSW proved their strength, winning 4 out of the 7 games played, with one draw. The U14 Boys from NSW were particularly dominant.

It is hoped that the sports challenge undertaken this weekend will be the start of a new era of interstate rivalry. Barry Smorgon OAM, President of Maccabi Australia noted that “as Maccabi commemorates its 90th Anniversary, we are also celebrating new things to come – we are celebrating the future of Maccabi, not just its past.”

While the competition was hotting up on the field, the past was indeed on show at Victoria’s 90th Anniversary reunion, with more than 300 guests recalling, reminiscing and sharing memories and photos. This event allowed Maccabi to reconnect with many of those who were instrumental in building Maccabi, laying the foundation for what Maccabi is today.

Smorgon was high on praise for both Paul Platus, 90th Sports Co-Ordinator and Yvette Shaw, Reunion Co-ordinator and their committees. “Maccabi’s backbone is its vast volunteer base. Volunteers like Paul and Yvette and their committees ensure Maccabi remains relevant and part of the fabric of the Australian Jewish community.”

In addition Smorgon thanked CBRE as official sponsors for the event. “We are reliant on the generosity of donors to enable our organisation to be effective in connecting the community. CBRE’s part in this weekend is gratefully acknowledged.”

For more information about this release, please contact Barry Smorgon OAM via the Maccabi Australia office on (03) 9563 5865