Abstract
The Maccabiah Games attract thousands of Jewish athletes from around the world to Israel every four years. As part of the Maccabiah experience, Maccabi USA organizes a seven day educational-cultural travel program in Israel for US athletes prior to the athletic competition. Called “Israel Connect,” this program is designed to strengthen athletes’ Jewish identities and instill in them the passion and knowledge necessary to advocate for Israel. This study examines the extent to which the Maccabiah experience altered the Jewish trajectories of the US Jewish athletes who participated.