The 3rd Winter Maccabiah was an international winter sports sports event held from 1 January 2023 to 9 January 2023 in

Ruhpolding Ruhpolding is the municipality with the biggest area of the Traunstein (district), Traunstein district in southeastern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the south of the Chiemgau region in the Alps and next to the Austrian border. The economy ...

, Germany. Approximately 400 athletes from 20 nations participated in the games. The 2023 Maccabiah Games were notable for being the first Jewish Winter

Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israelis regardless of religion ...

in 87 years. German Foreign Minister

Annalena Baerbock Annalena Charlotte Alma Baerbock (; born 15 December 1980) is a German politician and diplomat of the Alliance 90/The Greens party. She served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Germany's minister for foreign affairs from 2021 to 2025. I ...

highlighted the event as a celebration of Jewish culture and identity. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, described the games as a significant symbol of Jewish life in Germany.

History

The Winter Maccabiah served to revive a historical tradition and provided an opportunity for Jewish athletes to compete in winter sports in a significant cultural context. About 400 athletes participated in various sports, including alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, figure skating, Bavarian curling, and snow volleyball. The event featured an opening ceremony on January 1, along with cultural activities such as a combination

havdalah Havdalah (, ) is a Judaism, Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week. The ritual involves lighting a special candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of wine, and smelling sweet spices (). Shab ...

and

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, a

Kabbalat Shabbat Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the '' ...

, and a closing ceremony on January 9. Events were livestreamed on YouTube.

Participants

The 2023 Winter Maccabiah was open to participants who are members of Jewish Maccabi sports clubs worldwide, regardless of religion or nationality. 20 nations participated, including: * * – host country and largest delegation * * * – all sports but snow volleyball

References

{{Maccabiah Games Maccabiah Games

Multi-sport events in Germany Sports competitions in Bavaria