Name one non Jewish athlete who was refused participation on the basis of race. This article belongs to Haaretz not to Ynet...

First at all "Jew" is not a race unless you still insist in using the Nazi parameter.That a nation decides to organize such event is the most common thing in the world, so why not us.Only a seek mind could look for such a thing as racism in this case.

Khaled Meshaal will talk about human rights in Israel.

I have a friend who manages a Maccabi team of young girls and boys in the suburbs of Paris. Many of them are not jews and some are from north african origin. There is no problem between them and all are happy to be able to travel abroad, often for the first time.

oh dear, how pathetic ,another complexed self hating Jew. Get over it try living in Saudi Arabia or Afganistan, how about that

Jews and Sikhs are a "race" as well as a religion. Christianity and Islam are religions made up of multiple races. Being "Asian" is a common racist term - yet the Asian games (previously the Far Eastern Games) has been held for as long as the Maccabiah - in summary the author is diplaying the usual uneducated and uncouth manner prevalent in our beloved "up-start nation".

The games aren't about achievement they are about participation, something like the Paraolympics. And yes there are also Gay Olympics where all participants are gay, each country has it's own games where it only accepts it's own citizensetc etc And yes there are in fact Christian Games and Arab sports events. All sporting eventing are a blessing and nothing but good comes from them. The Maccabiah helps Israel contact the Diaspora, an excellent reason for me.

This miserable article is written by a guy who is being extremely otherwise, or davka.

Since when is Judaism a race? Since Hitler said so?

I want to thank all the people who came before me and said all the things I would have said. So the only thing left to say is why the hell does YNET give space to such an ...?

The writer is demonstrating blatant Ignorance. He blurs over the distinction of peoplehood and race. The Jewish people are composed of many races as one sees by walking streets of any Israeli city. Elkariv would deny the Jewish people the right of self identification and to sponsor events for itself. Yes, we are a family and members of a family look out for each other.

One of the most stupid articles YNet has ever published....!

Nationalism is not racism. Jews are nation and should stick up for one another. Who else will? Surely not the liberals progressives.

With a soul full of acid writing poisonous words of venom. The writer sounds like a very unpleasant, unhappy, frustrated man about who he is, where he comes from and where he (like it or not) belongs. The opening of the Maccabiah was great & touching and I wish all the sporter's, old & young, but JEWISH, much success and enjoyment.

Dear Editor I am a regular reader of your online news and generally enjoy the material. I am very surprised that you decided to publish the above article on the Maccabi games. This has really overstepped the mark of what anyone Can call intelegince comment and is a poor reflection on your newspaper. Freedom of speech does not mean every idiots view should be published. I feel you have failed your newspaper by publishing the show of pure racism op Ed

The failure of this writer to refrain from such filthy language (as he used to describe the holy belief in Israel as the Land of the Jewish people) demonstrates his continued belief in hatred of all things Jewish...(as already evidenced in previous columns such as the one condemning rabbis).

That must be the most ridiculous "article" I have read in a while. It's like a rant for no obvious reason.

Let me ask again: if anyone from any genetic or racial background can become a Jew, how on earth can the Jews be considered a race?

If the author still doesn't understand why Zionism is NOT Racism, why the Jewish people are a family, then he is the racist denying the Jewish people what every other people on the world are entitled to. He should get an education.

This smacks of classic antisemitism where any act by Jews is part of a diabolical plot to abuse the non-Jews. There are sporting events all over the world that are based on culture, geography and other criteria. This penchant for criticizing Jews really needs to stop. When it comes from someone who may have been Jewish it's just pathetic.

Shall we begin with the fact that there is no such animal as a Jewish race, and that the only folks who contend that there is are Nazi apologists? Or shall we ask him to name a single Jewish resident or descendant of any Moslem country ever permitted, since they were founded in 1953, to contend in the Pan Arab Games? I suppose the Armenians, who have a diaspora of their own, and who host the Pan Armenian Games, are also racists. Oh dear, what shall we make of the Pan American Games, considering the millions of Indians exterminated, and still oppressed and marginalized throughout both hemispheres of the Americas? And the Para-Pan American games? Perhaps it's time to consider convening an Olympic event for the cognitively impaired, if only to provide a venue and a sop for the author, the editor who commissioned this piece, and the fact-checking desk that let it go through.

Who is this sick pathetic individual? and why is YNet publishing his filth???? It is obvious, all he is trying to do is develop a controversy by emulating what is happening in the US right now... on the backs of the Jewish people...there are names for people like him....none of them decent enough to publish here. Last but not least, it was Hitler and his supporters/collaborators who claimed Jews were a "race"...this idiot Elkariv needs to look around him, if indeed he lives in Israel, to know that is a fallacy!!! Jews come in all colors and sizes.

It's clear that the Maccabiah games, while being very nice, are much more to do with cultural and nationalist issues and much less about sport. If the government were in any way serious about promoting the achievements of young sportspersons in Israel they would invest much more in training them for the Olympics instead of pouring millions into the Maccabiah games. Obviously the real Olympic competition and Israel's pathetic performance in it last year in London, are not really of much concern to these display-case politicians because they don't get to make ridiculous speeches there like they do here.

Not only is this offensive it's also stupid. Can a Mexican enter a competition for the best American gymnast? No? Is this racist?

Judaism is a peoplehood and not a race, as anyone with eyes can plainly see. The purpose of the Macabiah is to bring together Jews from all over the world. Participants may not be the best in the world in the range of sports represented at the Macabiah, but this is totally unimportant. Only a bigoted self-hating racist would write as Mr. Elkariv does, and his self-loathing indicates an urgent need for therapy.

Is a much more racist exclusion tool, as it spreads its tentacles over the planet.

Because of Muslim pressure.

And since when are Jews a race? There are Jews of every race - white, black, Asian, Native American, you name it. In fact, Judaism by definition is not racist. You, on the other hand, are a jerk!