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MACCABI USA ANNOUNCES THE OPEN MEN’S SOCCER TEAM FOR THE 20TH WORLD MACCABIAH GAMES

Philadelphia, PA, April 25, 2017 – The Maccabi USA Soccer Co-Chairs Preston Goldfarb and Mark Knue, along with Head Coach Preston Goldfarb and Assistant Coach David Goldstein, are pleased to announce the Open Men’s Soccer Team for the 20th World Maccabiah Games, which will take place July 4-18, 2017 in Israel. Maccabi USA will bring a team of 1,100+ athletes who will be part of the 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries, participating in 43 different sports.

“In 2013, the Open Men’s Soccer Team became the ‘Impossible Dream’ Team by winning the first ever Gold Medal by an Open Men’s Soccer Team for USA. We believe our 2017 Team will continue that ‘Impossible Dream’ by becoming the ‘Forever Team’ and make history again by going ‘Back-to-Back for Gold Medals’” said Goldfarb. “These Games are not only about winning and competing, but more importantly about the life altering experiences we will all have together in Israel, not just for a month, but for “forever!”

The athletes are William Cohen of Chicago, IL, Amherst College; Jonathan Dolezal of Wynnewood, PA, University of Pennsylvania (’14); Lance Dotzman of Holland, PA, Muhlenberg College (’14); Oliver Eisen of Stockholm, Sweden, Kungsholmens Gymnasium; Stephen Elias of Rye, NY, North Carolina State University; Aaron Franco of College Park, MD, University of Maryland; Samuel Friedman of New York, NY, Lafayette College (’11); Joshua Haberman of Woodbury, NY, Princeton University; Benjamin Issroff of New York, NY, Princeton University; Ryan Jones of Holland, PA, Marywood University (’13); Daniel Kohen of Beverly Hills, CA, San Diego State University (’15); Kovi Konowiecki of Long Beach, CA, Wake Forest University (’14); Max Kurtzman of Gladwyne, PA, University of Pennsylvania (’15); Elijah Lichtenberg of Beverly Hills, CA, Claremont McKenna College; Evin Nadaner of Bronx, NY, Boston University (’14); Samuel Raben of Greenwood Village, CO, Wake Forest University; Drew Rosenberg of Short Hills, NJ, Northwestern University; Jake Rozhansky of Takoma Park, MD, University of Maryland; Daniel Rubenstein of Bryn Mawr, PA, Wesleyan University; Brett Walsdorf of Lloyd Harbor, NY, Syracuse University (’12); and Alec Weiss of Merion, PA, Villanova University (’13).

Since 1932, over 62,000 athletes have participated in the Maccabiah Games, in a celebration of Jewish Strength and Solidarity. Team USA’s success is not only measured by the medals won, but by the impact that the Maccabiah experience had on their lives as well as the friendships they formed.

Maccabi USA builds Jewish pride through sports, generating the emotional intensity, high ideals, and powerful camaraderie of competition.  We connect athletes, volunteers, and supporters with the global Jewish community.  Our athletic, educational, and cultural experiences build Jewish identity, perpetuate Jewish continuity worldwide, and strengthen support for the State of Israel.

For more information, please contact Maccabi USA Program Director Shane Carr at 215-561-6900 or by email at scarr@maccabiusa.com.

About the organization:

Maccabi USA (MUSA) is a federally-recognized not-for-profit 501(c)(3) Organization with an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs.  The Organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, and the Pan American and European Maccabi Games, as well as a sponsor of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America.  As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.

MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities. It strives to provide Jewish athletes all over the world the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings. MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish Continuity, Zionism and Excellence in Sport.  Maccabi USA Builds Jewish Pride Through Sports.

Maccabi USA has been selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) as a Multi-Sport Organization (MSO). The nonprofit Organization becomes one of 35 MSOs nationwide to be recognized by the USOC for its ability to cultivate a national interest in sport and increase opportunities for participation internationally, nationally and at the grassroots level.

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