Team Maccabi GB will return home from Toronto with an extraordinary haul of 52 medals after a remarkable week at the 2026 JCC Maccabi Games that included an unforgettable all-British football final with the delegation’s two U15 boys’ football teams battling it out for gold.
The 46 athletes representing Great Britain finished the Games with 15 golds, 23 silvers and 14 bronzes across football, swimming, athletics and dance, bringing to an end a week of outstanding sporting performances and an experience that stretched far beyond sporting competition.
The Games concluded last Thursday evening with a closing ceremony and party, where athletes swapped their kit in a show of friendship and Jewish solidarity. The following day the delegation travelled together to Niagara Falls, before spending Shabbat with the Toronto families who had hosted them throughout the Games.
But perhaps the defining sporting moment came on Thursday afternoon when Team Maccabi GB’s U15 Boys’ Green and Blue football teams, who had both enjoyed superb tournaments – topping their respective groups before successfully navigating the knockout stages on Wednesday and Thursday – met up for an all-Team Maccabi GB gold medal match.
In front of a large crowd of parents, supporters, teammates and managers, the two British sides put friendship aside in an intensely competitive but hugely respectful final, which saw Green emerge 2-1 winners.
The victorious Green team, managed by Jacob Barron and Sammy Gershon, comprised of Vincent Gentely, Rafi Toffel, Asher Berman, Joshua Binstock, Tal Coutts, Danny Gershon, Jamie Gershon, Noah Landau, Zac Lissner, Rafael Selig and Gabriel Susskind.
Silver went to the Blue team of Joseph Abramson, Levi Abramson, Raphael Baliti, Oscar De Friend, Dylan Golding, Raphael Miller, Harry Myeroff, Aron Pater, Jamie Phillips, Louis Seal and Henry Seymour, who were led by head of football Nathan Bloohn and assistant manager Yonni Levy.
For the U17 Girls, the medal dream ended earlier. Ariella Carroll, Izzy Clement, Talia Dar El, Georgia Dias, Maya George, Sophie Kanter, Tamara Levy, Libby Marco, Isadora Myers, Amelie Teacher, Zoe Toberman and Ella Wilson, managed by Dani Elias and Talia Rich, progressed from the group stages, but were stopped in the quarter-finals.
Despite producing a determined performance they lost narrowly but demonstrated the resilience and togetherness that characterised their week.
However, success wasn’t confined to the football pitch. Team Maccabi GB’s track and field athletes, managed by Talia Fennessy, produced an exceptional medal haul.
Zoe Kowall enjoyed a phenomenal Games, including gold in the 100-metres hurdles and a tally of 13 medals, while Noah Haacker and Jonah Craig collected multiple gold, silver and bronze medals. Oscar Jaffe added two silvers, while the Mixed Delegation Relay provided another memorable moment and perfectly captured the international spirit of the JCC Maccabi Games.
In the pool under the experienced management of Adam Warner, Betty Marco produced another outstanding set of performances, with gold in both the 50-metre butterfly and 100-metre backstroke as part of a remarkable personal haul that also included six silver and four bronze medals.
Aoife Reynolds won gold in the 200-metre medley relay alongside two bronze medals, while Zac Jacobs also became a JCC Maccabi champion with relay gold. Ella Praverman and Yonatan Shalitel each claimed silver, while Libbi Etinzon secured a silver and two bronze medals. Maya Querfurth-Waterman achieved two personal bests, completing an outstanding week for Team Maccabi GB in the pool.
There was success on the dancefloor too. Audrey Kattan, supported by manager Olivia Myeroff, returned with four medals, winning silver in Hip Hop and Lyrical, alongside bronze medals in Jazz and Contemporary.
The final medal table tells an extraordinary story, yet numbers tell only part of what happened in Toronto.
A particular highlight of the Games was Izzy Clements being awarded the Brian Green Z”l Award, recognising an outstanding young athlete who embodies the values of respect, integrity, community, kindness and fair play. Izzy’s contribution both on and off the field reflected the spirit of Brian’s legacy and the very best of what Maccabi GB seeks to inspire through its international programmes.
The “mensch of the week” award was given to Issy Myers whose cheerful personality, passion and compassion for her teammates added to much to the experience for the squad.
For joint-heads of delegation Sammi and Laurence Myers and their team of nine volunteer managers, months of training, planning, preparation and countless volunteer hours culminated in a week that saw 46 young people represent Great Britain with pride, both in competition and within the international Jewish community.
Around half of the athletes were also joined in Toronto by their families, creating a travelling support that could be heard and seen throughout the week, particularly during Thursday’s all British football final.
The athletes will return with medals and tales of victories, personal bests and agonising defeats, but also memories of their host families, JCC Cares, educational experiences, the incredible Opening Ceremony at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Shabbat within Toronto’s Jewish community and, inevitably, bags filled with swapped kit from athletes from Canada, the US and around the world.
Before leaving Britain, Sammi and Laurence said that while medals would be wonderful, it was the “friendships, experiences and memories made along the way” that often leave the greatest and most lasting impact.
After an extraordinary week, Team Maccabi GB returns home with 52 medals, 46 immensely proud young athletes, new friendships spanning the Jewish world and memories that will last a lifetime.
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