Aug 7, 2015
Today is the last day of the 2015 Dallas JCC Maccabi Games®. It’s hard to believe how the week has flown by. Here is a wrap-up of the day’s competition: Thomas ended up taking home the bronze medal and Sam placed fourth. Most importantly, they didn’t let the match impact...
Aug 6, 2015
The competition got more intense today as our athletes vied for spots in Thursday’s medal rounds. Not pictured in today’s blog is Matan, who got a hat trick (three goals) for his 16U boys’ soccer team on Tuesday and scored again for them today. He was as clutch as can...
Aug 5, 2015
Team Palo Alto kept its momentum going on day two of the JCC Maccabi Games® in spite of the Dallas heat (oy!). Tradition of the Day: In addition to winning medals in competition, JCC Maccabi Games® athletes can win the Midot Medal for living the Jewish values cherished at the Games:...
Aug 4, 2015
Team Palo Alto had a strong start (and a really good time!) on day one of the Dallas JCC Maccabi Games®. Tradition of the Day: The JCC Maccabi Games® have many cultural traditions that contribute to the experience for athletes. The cornerstone of the JCC Maccabi Games® is rachmanus, which...
Aug 4, 2015
Summertime: What comes to mind when you think of it? For me it’s tall glasses of iced tea, condensation dripping down the glass. It’s sunglasses, bathing suits and sand toys for the beach. It’s family vacations, road trips and sleeping in nylon tents in the backyard. And it’s summer camp. My summer...
Aug 3, 2015
The Dallas JCC Maccabi Games® got underway Sunday evening, August 2nd as a thousand Jewish teen athletes plus coaches, JCC staff, parents, and other staff gathered for the Opening Ceremonies. Our Palo Alto delegation paraded into the arena at Southern Methodist University to a remix of the Pac-Man theme, our theme...
Aug 2, 2015
Many readers of this blog are familiar with the OFJCC’s mission to “inspire Jewish Journeys.” In the teen program, we take the “journey” piece both literally and figuratively each year when we travel with a group of athletes to the JCC Maccabi Games®. The JCC Maccabi Games®, which have run...
Jul 31, 2015
My Jewish journey started many moons ago back in Armenia, at that time part of the USSR. During the “iron curtain” era, everything Jewish was forbidden. You could not hear Jewish songs on the radio, buy Jewish books at the bookstore or even admit that you were Jewish. Jews were...
Jul 30, 2015
OFJCC Personal Trainer Lyndsey Jones leads our latest fitness challenge: Ice Skaters. Don’t worry, you won’t need an ice rink to perform this exercise; just a small amount of floor space and a weight for added difficulty. Watch Lyndsey demonstrate this move in three simple variations. Remember: Stepping to each side counts as...
Jul 27, 2015
On June 14 I cooked for a homeless shelter with the Mitzvah Corps. I woke up, got ready, went to Starbucks with my mom and then went to the Oshman Family JCC to cook. Not to cook for me, but to cook for people at a homeless shelter. About ten other people were there...