Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on August 16, 2013

Working full-time in New York City, Shira Averbuch says she doesn't have much time to play high-level organized soccer these days, as she did as a student at both Montclair High School and Stanford University.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MACCABI USA

Shira Averbuch holds her MVP trophy from the Maccabiah Games.Averbuch joins her U.S. teammates following their gold-medal victory last month in Israel.

Given the chance, though, the 2008 Montclair High graduate decided to take a brief leap back into the sport she loves.

Averbuch, 23, co-captained the United States women's soccer team to a gold medal at the 19th Maccabiah Games, held last month in Israel. She was also named tournament MVP for her performance, which included a two-goal effort in the U.S.'s 6-1 defeat of Israel in the gold medal match.

"I really didn't know what to expect going out there," Averbuch told The Times. "We prepared as best we could as a team, and we were able to win it all by a large margin. It was the cherry on top of it. I've got nothing but great memories from the trip."

The Maccabiah Games, often referred to as the "Jewish Olympics," are an international sporting competition, first held in 1932, open to athletes of Jewish heritage, as well as Israeli athletes of all religions. This year's Games welcomed more than 7,000 athletes from 76 nations.

The opportunity to explore Israel's cultural and religious tradition - in combination with the competitive aspect - was too much for Averbuch to resist, she said.

"It really gave me a chance to see what the world had to offer," Averbuch said. "Between the people I met, the places I saw, and the experiences I had, it was really an eye-opening trip."

Averbuch said that the Maccabiah USA reached out to both her and older sister Yael - a regular member of the senior U.S. National Team in recent years - earlier in the year in anticipation of the Games. Shira, who said she has stayed in shape by playing in co-ed recreation leagues and in the odd pick-up game, attended a tryout in January and earned a spot on the team.

Read more here:
Montclair native leads Team USA to Maccabiah Games gold

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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