Jewish Athletes From Around the World Come to Jerusalem for Maccabiah

Participants from over 80 countries gathered for the 50th year of Jerusalem's reunification and participated in the 20th annual Maccabiah Games. Nine thousand athletes joined in the games which began on Tuesday and will continue through July 18th. Forty-three sports will be showcased at the "Jewish Olympics," including tennis, swimming and soccer.

During the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We are all one people. The Maccabiah is a game for the Maccabees...the Maccabees liberated our land against all others. We are all descendants of the Maccabees... We suffered the greatest tragedies in the history of man, yet we came back."