The 12th Maccabiah

3,700 athletes from 37 countries competed in 30 events at the Twelfth Maccabiah. For the first time, delegations arrived from Panama, Guam, Gibraltar, and Yugoslavia (represented by one athlete). Colombia and Zaire, absent since the Sixth Maccabiah, returned after a 24-year hiatus. A new event, rhythmic gymnastics, appeared for the first and last time. Boxing, a popular event in the first eleven Maccabiot, was eliminated due to a lack of competitors.

1,800 buses and 450 minibuses were used to transport athletes across the country. Kfar Maccabiah made 82,000 telephone calls, and 980 public figures participated in the Games. Mark Spitz, the legendary swimmer with seven gold medals from the 1972 Munich Olympics, carried the torch, accompanied by Shirley Shapira and Shulamit Romano, whose fathers were murdered by terrorists at the Munich Games.

In track and field, 19 Maccabiah records were broken across 39 events —twelve by men and seven by women—including a new Israeli decathlon record. Israel won 54 of the 117 medals awarded. Swimming saw 21 new Maccabiah records set across 30 heats, with the United States dominating the competition. Israel secured two gold medals and Canada won one. Overall, Israel earned 11 of the 90 swimming medals.

In marksmanship, Israel excelled, winning 19 medals in the men’s division (including six gold) and seven in the women’s division (three gold). Weightlifting also saw five records broken, with Israel claiming 13 of the 27 medals, including four golds. The Israeli team triumphed in chess, while the Australian team stood out in bridge.

The final medal tally showed the U.S. winning nearly half of the gold medals, along with 90 silver and 74 bronze. In basketball, the American men’s team narrowly defeated the Israeli all-stars by one point, with Israeli stars Berkovitz and Aroesti missing the game. Meanwhile, Israel’s soccer team, coached by Eliezer Shpiegel, triumphed over the Netherlands with a 1-0 victory in the playoffs. The junior soccer matches, particularly those featuring Brazilian players, drew thousands of spectators to the University Auditorium in Ramat Aviv.

A new wing at the stadium, inaugurated just four days before the Games, allowed for 16,300 more spectators at the Opening Ceremony. The ceremony was unforgettable, with Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer leading 50,000 attendees in a communal singing of "Al Kol Eleh" ("For All of These"). The evening before the opening, the Chamber Orchestra performed a special concert at the Tel Aviv Museum.

For the first time, the organizers installed a state-of-the-art Motorola communications and media system to broadcasted real-time scores from all competitions. Results were uploaded to a central computer and immediately shared with the media and the public. Israeli television broadcast twelve consecutive hours of track and field competitions, swimming events, and playoffs, while gymnastics competitions were covered in regular sports programs. The media budget was fully covered by commercial sponsors,  each contributing $50,000.

The 1985 Maccabiah took place amid runaway inflation and labor strikes that threatened to paralyze the economy. The total budget for the Games reached four million dollars, with a deficit of $40,000 at the close of the event.

As in previous Maccabiot, the Jewish Agency's "Tour V’Aleh" initiative sought to promote Aliyah through the Maccabiah. Information centers were set up at the athletes' quarters, social gatherings were arranged between athletes and veteran immigrants, and tours of Israel were organized. Industry representatives also scouted athletes for potential job opportunities in Israel. However, the results were underwhelming, as only a few athletes chose to make Aliyah, and for most participants, the Maccabiah remained a grand sporting and cultural event rather than a serious Aliyah initiative.

To ensure the future of Maccabiah athletes, a Junior Maccabiah was introduced, which proved to be highly successful. Simultaneously, competitions for veteran athletes were held. The Ministry of Education and Culture, in collaboration with the Maccabiah organizers, declared 1985 "Maccabiah Year," with all athletic competitions in Israeli schools held in honor of the event.

A "Yakir Maccabi" honorary title ceremony took place at the Jerusalem Theatre. Additionally, a world convocation of sports doctors convened at the Wingate Institute, and a global meeting of sports journalists was hosted at Beit Sokolov in Tel Aviv. A special exhibition of children’s paintings from twenty countries was displayed at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. In honor of the Maccabiah, athletes planted three thousand saplings in the Maccabi Forest in Modi'in.

The National Postal Service issued a set of three colorful stamps depicting tennis, surfing, and basketball, valued between 400-600 shekels.

Following tradition, the Closing Ceremony was held at the Sultan's Pool in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, and Maccabi World Union Chairman Israel Peled addressed the thousands of athletes. A parachutist glided down to lower the Maccabi flag, followed by a helicopter retrieving the Maccabiah mascot, Guri, and flying it skyward. The ceremony culminated with members of the Amizur Kiryat Ono Athletic Association scaling the walls of the Old City to form a Star of David, while fireworks lit up the sky and the crowd sang "Hora Jerusalem."

Notable Athletes, Winners, and Sports Achievements:

• Champion sprinter (100m and 200m) Gary Wilson was the standout track and field athlete of the Maccabiah.

• James Aspir, the British champion of the Eleventh Maccabiah, won the 1,500m and 5,000m races.

• Australian Mark Rosenberg set a Maccabiah record in the 400m race (46.54 seconds), a time worthy of international recognition.

• Two-time sprint winner Lisa Grupp was among the most outstanding female athletes.

• American Jerry Wilko excelled in shot put and discus throw.

• Renowned golfer Carrie Fabin participated in the competition.

• Swimmer Seth Baron emerged as a new champion, winning six gold medals, succeeding Mark Spitz in medal count if not in virtuosity.

• Israeli swimmer Eyal Shtigman set a Maccabiah and Israeli record in the 100m breaststroke.

• Eleven-year-old Stephanie Rosenthal, a promising American swimmer, set five international records in the under-twelve category.

• Ofer Botzer of Zevulun Jaffa, ranked eighth in the European heavyweight surfboard championship, won gold in his event.

• Brazilian marksman Alejandro (Aryeh) Stessin secured five gold medals in pistol shooting.

• Zvia Weissfield won gold in the javelin throw.

• Table tennis champions included Israelis Dror Pollack, a six-time national champion, and Iris Karni.

Joining the Party: Countries who participated for the first time

• Panama

• Guam

• Gibraltar

• Yugoslavia (one athlete).

• Colombia

• Zaire

 

Say Hello: New Sports Competition

• Rhythmic gymnastics 

 

Saying Goodbye: Categories From Previous Maccabiot That Were Left Out

• Boxing