TUCSON, Arizona — It's more than 8,000 miles from Tucson to Tel Aviv, the nearby home for this seventeen and under girls basketball team participating in the JCC Maccabi games.
This year's games welcomed the largest delegation of Israeli athletes, with over 100 teens from communities all over Israel.
"I was pretty excited to see all the new cities and countries come here," said Tucson's Sabrina Wexler, a member of the opposing team which is mostly American.
The JCC Maccabi Games are an Olympic style athletic competition that is being held in Tucson for the first time since 2000. It's as much about bonding as it is about buckets.
"We were pretty close with the Israeli girls," said Wexler. "We made a lot of Tik Toks together."
"We have a joint Tik Tok account," said Maya Arad, a member of the Israeli team. "We were all together dancing."
The dribbling was intense, and the Israeli coach was ejected for excessive arguing with the officials.
The Israeli team rallied without him to win a bronze medal.
"It's a memory that we will have," said Arad. "It's pride that we are from Israel. And, We got a bronze."
The other winner was the Jewish community. The games are meant as a powerful spirit of unity and global connection.
"I really enjoyed the experience and new connections," added Wexler.
