The Maccabiah, set to take place next month, will include a remembrance component honoring 18 fallen Israelis, most of them graduates of the Maccabi Tzair youth movement, who were murdered on October 7 or killed in combat. One of the central initiatives is a series of memorial pins, designed together with the bereaved families and designer Itay Blaish. The pins will become part of a long-standing Maccabiah tradition, in which delegations from around the world bring unique pins as part of the atmosphere of the Games.
One pin honors the memory of Staff Sgt. Guy Simhi, a graduate of the Maccabi Tzair branch in Gedera, and is decorated with a juggling ball. Guy, who was born and killed in battle at Kibbutz Re’im, was an outstanding athlete who specialized in ball juggling. The pin symbolizes his love of sports and the spirit of the game.
Another pin honors the memory of Capt. Eden Nimri, with the figure of a swimmer at its center, representing the commander and fighter who fell in battle at Nahal Oz and was an outstanding athlete. A third pin commemorates Sgt. Shay Germay, a Border Police fighter killed during an operational activity in Jenin. At its center is a cake, symbolizing her love of baking.
A unique pin was also designed in memory of Staff Sgt. Adi Leon, from the community of Nili and a graduate of Maccabi Tzair. Adi served in the Tzabar Battalion of the Givati Brigade and was killed in the Namer armored personnel carrier disaster in the northern Gaza Strip on October 31, 2023.
“On October 7, he was called up to Kfar Aza. They were there for three days of fighting, after the fence had been breached and each time another wave of terrorists arrived,” his mother, Nurit, recalled. “Early Thursday morning, we drove to see him. When we asked what he wanted us to bring him, he asked for a commando knife. He understood what close-quarters combat meant, situations in which a weapon does not work. We found the knife in a hidden compartment in my late father’s car, and my mother had kept it because of its sentimental value. We gave it to Adi that same night.”
Adi was 20 when he fell. He is survived by his parents, Nurit and Amir, and two sisters, Zohar and Ori.
“Adi was a very happy young man, always smiling, always surrounded by friends he had gathered over the years. He loved music, played from a young age and DJed at events. Another great love of his was Maccabi Tzair. He lived at the branch, first as a participant and later as a counselor,” his mother said wistfully.
After Adi’s death, his friends gave his family his personal notebook, which included farewell letters he had written to his parents and sisters. Among the pages, they found the inspiration for the pin in his memory: a cat he had drawn in the farewell letter he wrote to his younger sister before entering the Gaza Strip.
“We are a cat household. We now have four, and throughout Adi’s life there were always cats at home. Adi and Ori always loved them very much, and he drew the cat, with wonderful sensitivity, to make her happy,” Nurit explained.
The Maccabiah will also feature an educational kit produced by the family in his memory, “Adi’s Lights.” The kit includes eight leading values from the notebook he wrote during his life, adapted into cards for shared learning. During the Maccabiah, teenagers will lead educational activities using the kit, helping continue to illuminate his path.
“This is a generation that knows how to do so many things at once. Adi knew how to be with friends, play electronic music, be part of Maccabi Tzair, serve as a fighter with values, be brave and creative, resourceful and sensitive, someone who knew how to draw a cat for his little sister. This is a wonderful generation, and we want to be worthy of them. I will wear Adi’s pin with pride,” Nurit said.
The 2026 Maccabiah will be held July 1-14 in an event that will bring together thousands of athletes, families and sports fans from around the world. Under the slogan “More Than Ever,” the Maccabiah expresses strength and hope, and the renewed connection between Israel and world Jewry at a time when that bond is more meaningful than ever.
Alongside a festive opening ceremony at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, major events and sports competitions, a day of activity and volunteering in the Tekuma region in partnership with KKL-JNF, this year’s Maccabiah will also include “Maccabiah City,” an experiential sports festival at Expo Tel Aviv.
Maccabiah chairman Assaf Goren said: “The pin project was born out of a desire to connect private pain with the collective memory of the Maccabi movement community. This is our way of saying to the fallen and to their families: You are part of the heart of the Maccabiah. Every pin worn on the athletes’ uniforms is a reminder of love, values and lives cut short too soon.”