The Maccabiah (Hebrew: מַכַּבִּיָּה) is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union.
The third Maccabiah, scheduled for 1938, was delayed until 1950 due to the rise of Nazism in Europe and the outbreak of the Second World War. The Maccabiah has been a quadrennial event since 1957.
Maccabiah is open to Jewish athletes as well as Israeli athletes regardless of religion. Arab Israelis have also competed in it.
The games, always held in Israel, are in fact three separate competitions – "Open," "Juniors," and "Masters". Every Israeli citizen and every Jew not an Israeli citizen, is eligible to compete in the Games. Sports in the Junior games are open to any qualifying athlete aged 15 to 18. Masters' sports are divided into a number of different age categories—generally for older competitors.
Unlike the Olympic games and other major international sporting events, the sport list for the Maccabiah Games is not set in stone. The "Basic Rules" of the Maccabiah Games state that competitions will only take place if four (three, in the case of all female sports, and Junior team sports) countries bring competitors for that sport.
Source: Wikipedia
Maccabiah games, 1935
