A Special Havdalah Ceremony for Maccabi Athletes in Frankfurt

After sunset on Saturday July 27^th, the German delegation for the European Maccabi youth games 2024 met in Frankfurt in front of the town hall. There were about one hundred athletes from all over Germany, who came to Frankfurt to prepare for the Makkabi junior games in London. In addition, about two hundred supporters came to encourage the young athletes. This special event. which took place on the Römerberg in Frankfurt am Main, marked the end of Shabbat and the beginning of the new week, and was organised by MAKKABI Germany e.V., in cooperation with many organizations. Israel Bonds supported this wonderful gathering.

The fact that it was raining cats and dogs didn’t stop us from standing all together around the table with wine and candles in order to carry out the havdalah ceremony. Lord Mayor Mike Josef, Secretary of State for the state of Hessia Uwe Becker, member of the German parliament Thorsten Lieb, and president of Makkabi Germany e.V. Alon Meyer delivered speeches and wished all the athletes much success. While waiting for the chief rabbi from Frankfurt, Avichai Apel, to arrive, we sang and danced and braved the rain. After his arrival, we prayed for the release of the hostages in Gaza and for the safe return of the soldiers before he led us in the Havdalah blessings with wine, spices and the traditional braided candle. Suddenly. it stopped raining, so we continued to sing and dance and enjoyed the warm summer night. The rabbi emphasized that performing a Havdalah ceremony in such a public place, in front of the town hall and together with the Lord Mayor was an important sign, which we hoped would bring light in these dark days of war in Israel. Finally, we said goodbye and Shavua Tov—a good week-- to our athletes and wished them success in their competitions in London.

Photos with Israel Bonds flag by Rafael Herlich