Submitted by Cincy Journeys
“The Cincinnati community is incredibly generous. The Jewish community here, I don’t think there’s an equal, really, across the country,” said Eric Jacobson.
Eric’s son, Yuval, participated in the 21st Maccabiah Games in Israel, and the family took advantage of a Cincy Journeys Israel travel grant to make that possible. The program helps every Cincinnati Jewish child attend Jewish overnight camp and every teen and young adult travel to Israel, giving them the skills, experience, and desire to become tomorrow’s community leaders. Two Israel travel grants can be used by local youth any time between the ages of 16 to 26 with approved trip providers.
The Maccabiah Games, also referred to as the Jewish Olympics, are generally held every four years in Israel and are open to Jewish athletes from around the world and to all Israeli citizens regardless of their religion. It is the third-largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, with 10,000 athletes competing. First held in 1932, the name Maccabiah was chosen after Judah Maccabee, a Jewish leader who defended his country from King Antiochus.
Yuval competed in the weightlifting competition, something he became interested in through wrestling. “My dad found that weightlifting was going to be in the Maccabiah Games for the first time in years, so I took the opportunity to compete in another country for the first time,” said Yuval. “The whole USA team spent six days before the event touring and training. Then we headed over to Jerusalem for an amazing opening ceremony in the stadium. There were 30,000 people there, and President Biden was there.”
During the competition Yuval hit personal records while beating other competitors. “For the past year, he really dedicated himself,” said Eric. “There were a lot of late nights of tough, strenuous workouts, just to get prepared for this. Remember, he’s right out of high school. These other guys, a lot of them are in their mid-20s with much more experience. I was incredibly proud of him, to see him go out there in a singlet representing the United States, the Cincinnati community, and competing in that platform. It was a serious meet. One of the fellows there from Israel, David Litvinov, he’s 11th in the world and has gone to the Olympics. Yuval’s been in touch with him, and in December of 2022, about five months after the Maccabiah Games, Yuval went back to Israel to meet some of the lifters there and train with them.”
Yuval was able to take part in the Maccabiah Games, thanks to a Cincy Journeys travel grant. “This is an expensive trip — $8,500,” Eric said. “The grant was $8,000, and we only had to pay $500 out-of-pocket for this whole trip. We are very blessed to be part of the Jewish community here in Cincinnati. It was a wonderful experience for my son. Without the travel grant, I guess we could have done it, but it would have been tough. It’s incredibly generous, and they took a lot of the financial burden off us as parents. I grew up in a community where none of this stuff existed.”
Yuval’s mother is Israeli, and Yuval holds dual citizenship. While traveling to Israel is not a new experience for him, he said the opportunities to compete against, and become friends with, some of the elite athletes in his sport have been priceless. “I just want to say how fortunate I am to have these kinds of opportunities. The whole team is still in touch, and it was just so cool to meet people in the sport.”
As a parent, Eric also appreciates the Israel travel opportunities for his children. “It’s a very rich experience,” added Eric. “Take advantage of what Cincy Journeys has to offer. Appreciate the fact that this is very unique. This doesn’t exist in every Jewish community across the United States. We, as a community, are very fortunate to have this.”
