This summer, more than 1,600 teenagers will descend upon the Jewish Community Center in Preston Hollow to compete in athletic competitions raging from basketball to table tennis to track and field for the 2005 Maccabi Games.

This is the first time that Dallas has played host to the traditional weeklong event for teens ages 12-17.

The event, held July 31-Aug. 5, will bring in participants from throughout the country and some international visitors from , and .

“It’s almost like the Olympics,” says the JCC’s Suzie Hacker. “We put in our bid and were selected two to three years out. We will have opening ceremonies like at the Olympics where the kids will march out with their city name and flag. And we will have a closing ceremony.”

            During the day, participants will compete in 14 different sporting events, and at night they’ll get a chance to do some socializing at places like Malibu Speed Zone.

            The Games also include a “Day of Caring/Day of Sharing” where athletes team up with local community organizations to work on social-action projects, such as building homes for the poor or packaging food for the hungry.

            This year, the JCC folks are calling the day “MTV: Mitzvahs To Victory.” Maccabi players will work on six different projects that will have beneficiaries in both Dallas and . For example, one group of athletes will make finger puppets for Children’s Hospital of Medical City of Dallas and the Children’s Trauma Center in Haifa, .

            In order to accommodate all of the people and events, some events will take place at different venues, including facilities at Greenhill and Hockaday schools. And visiting participants will stay with families in the community.

            “It’s so exciting,” Hacker says. “It really takes the entire community pitching in to do it. We have a huge need for housing, volunteers and donations. Everybody is excited; the kids are gearing up. You can feel it in the air now.”

            What’s even more exciting for the nearly 300 Team Dallas kids is the pay off of actually getting to take part in the games.

            In order to participate in the Maccabi Games, teens in Dallas must first belong to the Maccabi Club at the JCC.

            “This is our second year to have the club in Dallas ,” Hacker says. “It was really born out of the Maccabi Games program — it’s to give the kids an opportunity to participate in the games, but also to build on and give them something to stay connected to throughout the year.”

            Since it began last year, the club has doubled in size, now boasting 350 members. During the year, the club members plan events such as retreats and lock-ins. They also participate in “mitzvah” — or community service — projects. Each member is required to complete four hours of service a year. Typical projects include ushering at the Dallas Children’s Theater, helping the SPCA, pitching in at a food bank and helping out at community events such as the Kosher Chili Cook-off.

            “Mitzvah, it’s a big component of the club as well as the games,” Hacker says.

            When game time comes around, the club oversees tryouts (usually held in January and February), coaches, practices and small tournaments that are held to help the athletes prepare.

            Neighborhood resident Will Weinstock, 15, is looking forward to the games this summer. He’ll play baseball, and last year, his first year to participate, he played on the basketball team.

            “I thought it was a lot of fun. You get to meet new people and do sports — I love baseball,” he says. “It’s also fun to see some of your friends compete.”

            Artie Allen, assistant executive director of the J, says that hosting the Games here in Dallas is significant not only for the kids that get to participate in them, but also for the community as a whole.

            “The JCC will have the opportunity to bring something to the community that will leave a lasting legacy as to the kinds of programs we offer, the type of volunteers we have, and it will highlight the city of Dallas,” he says.

“It will involve people in something special that only happens once in a lifetime. It is a great community-building opportunity.”