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Maccabiah 2009 / Visiting athletes: Atmosphere means more than medals
By Raphael Ahren

Competing athletes from across the Diaspora at last night's opening ceremony of the 18th Maccabiah spoke about the excitement they felt being united with so many Jews from all over the world.

Ernest Strul, a 33-year-old soccer player from Offenbach, Germany - which has a Jewish community of 500 - said his personal highlights will be "on the field," but added he got goose bumps when he looked around the area and saw hundreds of athletes dressed in their national colors.
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"It is unbelievably beautiful to meet so many Jews from other countries," he said.

Ian Mablin, of London, was equally amazed as he strode around the staging area near Ramat Gan's National Stadium, moments before the different delegations were arranged in lines and equipped with pins, flags and hats to prepare for their march into the stadium.

"My last Maccabiah was in 1993," the 61-year-old athlete continued, walking hastily to the British team's meeting point. "I won two silver medals and one bronze medal then, but now I'm a bit older now, so it's going to be a bit harder. Sports are important, but the whole event itself is much more important. It's so much more."

Irvin Gordon, a 58-year-old squash player from Sydney, set his sights on the larger picture.

"The most exciting thing is that the Maccabiah is a gathering of Jewish people representing their communities at a sporting event that is broadcast to Jewish households throughout the world," he said. "This is a meeting of a diverse group of Jews with different backgrounds and social cultures, but at the end of the day, when they go to synagogue they pray in the same language as I do."

Others focused less on Judaism than on representing their respective nations. Michaela Green, a 14-year-old soccer player from London, had painted Union Jacks on her cheeks, giving assurances her team would win gold.

Benjamin Bernstein, from Mexico City, said he's very emotional about representing his country despite his baseball team's prospects. "We could be third or maybe even second, if we play with our hearts," the 17-year-old said. "But it's clear the U.S. is going to win."

Sandy Kleinberg, a 33-year old volleyball player from Rochester, New York, noted the different atmosphere between his first Maccabiah in 2001 and today.

"[Back then] we were excited to be in Israel and be greeted by 40,000 cheering fans, but the atmosphere was also very tense, because we were told that a terrorist attack had just been foiled. Even as we walked into the stadium, we felt excited and nervous at the same time," he said. "This year, it's very different. There is no fear whatsoever. We're just happy and proud of the progress Israel had made in terms of security."

Daniel Indech, who was born in Great Britain but now competes for the United States, is also no newbie.

"After I played in my mid-20s, I retired from my sports for 12 years and thought I'd never play again. But five years ago I started to play again and now I'm here. It's a dream come true, a dream that I never thought I could ever realize," he said.

Many athletes said they were in Israel for the first time. Mexico City resident Tania Jaber, who competes in gymnastics, arrived last Thursday but hasn't seen much of the country yet. "I spent the entire time in the hotel," she said. "We will go touring after my competition is over."

Benjamin Panzer, a swimmer from Vienna, already managed to visit Jerusalem's Old City and a kibbutz.

"It's completely different from everything I've ever seen, and I mean this in a good way," he said. "It's a great feeling to be part of something so big."

The 19-year-old admitted his chances of winning gold are not as large.

"I'm swimming against [Olympic gold medalist Jason] Lezak," he said. "I'm just here to have fun."
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