Kaiserman JCC to Host 2027 JCC Maccabi Games – Featured in the Jewish Exponent!
ByJarrad Saffren
September 22, 2026
It’s official: The Kaiserman JCC will host the 2027 JCC Maccabi Games.
But that’s not all: The opening ceremony for the Aug. 1-6 competition will take place at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers.
Additionally, the event’s honorary chair will be Howie Roseman, executive vice president of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Flyers and the Xfinity Mobile Arena, is also one of the sponsors.
It’s a Jewish Philadelphia sporting event.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Philadelphia, Philadelphia’s Jewish community, and the Kaiserman JCC,” said Kaiserman CEO Alan Scher in a news release.
“We are honored to be selected to host the 2027 JCC Maccabi Games at Xfinity Mobile Arena,” said Phil Laws, chief operating officer of Comcast Spectacor, in the release. “Our venue has a long history of hosting major sporting events, so we’re thrilled to bring thousands of athletes, families, and supporters together for a week that will showcase incredible athletic performances, community pride, and the electric energy Philadelphia is known for.”
The Olympic-style competition for athletes ages 13-17 will include teams from across North America and the world. The 2026 JCC Maccabi Games, hosted by Kansas City and Toronto, welcomed over 3,000 athletes and more than 12,000 combined athletes, coaches, families, spectators and volunteers, according to the release.
The JCC Association of North America is also in the midst of a four-year, $19.5 million effortto expand the JCC Maccabi Games from around 2,600 athletes to 4,000. The JCC Association helps every participating community with seed funding.
Austin, Texas, will also serve as a host for next year’s games.
“With a global spotlight here on our thriving community, we will proudly showcase the best in athletics and sportsmanship, fostering connections and memories to last a lifetime,” said Scher in the release.
According to the JCC Association of North America, 59% of the participants in the games do not attend Jewish day school or summer camp. Additionally, recent participant survey data revealed that “96% of athletes feel more connected to the Jewish community” and “75% said the games inspired them to seek out Jewish life on campus.”
A Team Philadelphia soccer player, left, participates in the JCC Maccabi Games. (Courtesy of Team Philadelphia JCC Maccabi)
The Kaiserman JCC previously hosted the competition in 2001 and 2011. But since Scher became CEO in 2021, the J has emerged from COVID-era financial hardship and low attendance to increase enrollment at summer camp and preschool, renovate its gymnasium and other facilities, add a JCC Maccabi Hall of Fame to honor local Jewish athletes and host the Mini and Junior JCC Maccabi Games in 2026.
Scher and Daniel Weiss, the Kaiserman board member and longtime Maccabi coach, saw the Mini and Junior games as a tune-up for the bigger competition in 2027. More than 1,000 athletes between the ages of 9 and 12 participated, an increase of more than 300 from the previous year. The opening ceremony was held at Hagan Arena on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University.
“This year’s games are the largest Mini and Junior Maccabi Games that have ever happened,” said Barrie Mittica, the JCC’s senior director of engagement.
Scher and Weiss began discussing the possibility of hosting the JCC Maccabi Games as early as January 2023. To pull it off, Kaiserman had to raise over $1 million, secure approval from its board and work in partnership with the JCC Association of North America.
In addition to Comcast Spectacor, the Green Family Foundation, the Seed the Dream Foundation, the Marcus Foundation, the Samueli Foundation, The Coca-Cola Company, the Shusterman Family Foundation and others have signed on as sponsors, according to the release.
“Over the course of the last four years, we set ourselves a goal aspirationally of the Kaiserman JCC being a Jewish communal hub,” said Scher. “We can’t think of a better way to fulfill that vision than to host the biggest Jewish sporting event in North America.”
The CEO also said that Roseman was excited to participate when Kaiserman reached out.
“I am very excited that the JCC Maccabi games are coming to Philadelphia in 2027!” said Roseman in the release. “This is a wonderful opportunity and a great celebration for the community. Having seen firsthand the impact these games can have on participants, I know what a meaningful experience this will be. I encourage anyone that is interested to get involved. There is a spot for everyone — athletes can compete, adults can coach or volunteer, families can open their homes to host athletes, and local businesses can support through sponsorship. I look forward to seeing our community come together to make the 2027 JCC Maccabi Games an incredible experience for all!”
Scher also wants all interested Jewish Philadelphians to sign up their kids and step up as host families, volunteers, sponsors and coaches. Kaiserman needs about 450 host families and 1,000 volunteers.
“It’s going to take every single Jewish family, individual and all of the people who love them across the five counties,” he said. “We’re encouraging and inviting everyone across the five counties to get in the games.”
A successful event can also be a tremendous boon to an institution that sees itself as the Main Line hub of Jewish Philadelphia. It can help increase visibility, strengthen infrastructure and galvanize donors.
“It opens up the door to so many possibilities. I’ve been to maybe a dozen JCCs around the country. Our JCC is not the prettiest. That takes money; that takes time; that takes people who want to be involved,” Weiss told Philadelphia Jewish Exponent back in April. “This can be that stepping stone that helps take the JCC to that next level.”
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com
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