Awards recognise volunteers and sport clubs
The club’s president, James Davis, said, “It’s really the culture of our club that makes it a success, and that can’t happen without our committee”.
The Maccabi Australia Sport Awards on April 14 not only recognised the achievements of Jewish athletes, but also of Maccabi volunteers and sport clubs, for their vital role in connecting the community through sport.
Club of the Year for NSW was Maccabi Basketball Club, which grew by about 20 per cent in 2023, and now has more than 35 junior teams, eight senior teams, a young adult social comp, and training programs and camps for Jewish school students.
AJAX Junior Footy Club earned the title of Maccabi Victoria Club of the Year for its level of volunteer engagement, effective leadership, proactive approach to safety and combatting antisemitism, and professional approach to training.
The club’s president, James Davis, said, “It’s really the culture of our club that makes it a success, and that can’t happen without our committee”.
“The club means so much, and you can see that on a Sunday, when we get 500-700 people down, having a hot dog, and enjoying the games.”
The Maccabi Western Australia (WA) Club of the Year was the tennis club, which upgraded equipment, introduced pickleball and a mid-week comp, and attracted new members of all ages.
The club’s president, Anthony Kur, was recognised as Maccabi WA Volunteer of the Year.
The NSW Volunteer of the Year award was shared between Maccabi NSW Basketball Club’s president Brad Rosen, and Maccabi NSW Netball Club president Michelle Samuel, under whose watch the club experienced 60 per cent membership growth.
Samuel volunteered as sport committee chair for the successful 2023 Maccabi Junior Carnival in Sydney.
Jeff Alford, an AJAX Junior Footy Club committee member since 2017, was named Maccabi Victoria Volunteer of the Year, and described by Maccabi Victoria co-president Sharon Roseman as “always the first to put up his hand and help”.
Alford said, “Community sport is really important . . . It just gives back, and that’s why I do it [volunteer].”
The national Maccabi Volunteer of the Year was Jeff Sher, who served on the Maccabi Australia board from 2009 to December 2023, including a six-year term as president.
Sher, Head of Delegation for the Australian team for the 2025 Maccabiah Games, was particularly recognised for steering Maccabi Australia, strategically, through and beyond a challenging period during the pandemic.
The Maccabi Life Well-being Award winner was nutritionist, author, and volunteer Judy Phillips.
And the Victorian and national Maccabi Junior Sportswoman of the Year, 18-year-old weightlifter Layla Bloom, earned the Rudi Roth Scholarship, a financial grant that assists rising Jewish athletes to achieve their dream of reaching the highest level in their chosen sport.
Bloom, who competed at the 2022 Maccabiah Games and is aiming to qualify for her third junior worlds, said, “thank you, this means so much”, adding the scholarship will enable her to “do those one-percenters that make a big difference . . . to help me be the best athlete I can.”
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