“I didn’t know how much meaning was in the two words ‘mental health’ until I participated in the JCC’s mental health series. But now I do! I also learned special techniques to help when I’m having a hard mental health day, from deep breathing to how to change one's mindset to positive thoughts instead of negative ones. The JCC really helped me learn new ways to support my friends and myself, and I’m going to pass that on to other people too.”

"A few days have passed and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for a very impactful and memorable experience for my son. He had an amazing week of basketball and friends with the JCC East Bay. He has not had such a meaningful Jewish experience since his bar mitzvah."

"Thank you for giving the kids this opportunity. The coaches were AMAZING. Positive and supportive but also with boundaries."

"Every single person I talked to at the games was super chill and nice! The games themselves were super fun and I met new people from all over the country. My host family was amazing and they us in like we were their own kids- while we didn't see them that much when we did get to hang out it was a great experience. I hope we can keep in touch and I'll remember this experience forever! My dad participated in the Maccabi games when he was a teenager and I hope if I have kids they will get to do this too."

"Maccabi games was a life-changing experience- I met so many amazing people that I still keep in contact with. It was so fun to meet other Jews from around the world and to know that we had that in common. I'm definitely coming back next year! The staff and coaches were super energetic and really brought the ruach- it was also great to get to cheer for other teams in our delegation. I feel like I will never forget the memories I made at Maccabi games and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to participate."