Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame inductees revealed

Maccabi NSW is inviting the community to a once in a 100 years communal celebration of Jewish sport on November 10, that will include a Maccabi centenary gala dinner full of inspiring stories, speeches, memorabilia and only the sixth ever Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame induction ceremony, honouring seven Jewish sporting legends – including three Olympians – who call NSW home.

Although the location can only be revealed later, The AJN understands it is, fittingly, one of Sydney’s most iconic and historic international sport venues.

“This centenary celebration is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone for Maccabi and our community,” Maccabi NSW president Amanda Penkin said.

“It’s a chance to honour the generations of players, volunteers and families who have built Maccabi to what it is today.

“Owing to the pandemic, it’s been eight years since we have held our Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame awards, so we’re especially proud to be inducting seven Hall of Fame members on this special night – individuals whose contribution to sport and community embodies the very spirit of Maccabi.”

All seven to be inducted have been notified by Maccabi and expressed pride, honour and gratitude.

In the athlete category, the inductees are recently retired 400m runner Steve Solomon and canoe slalom Olympic gold medallists and sisters, Jess and Noemie Fox.

There are four administrator category inductees – Hakoah FC legend Jon Pillemer, former Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley, current Cricket Australia CEO and former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and former Football Federation Australia chairman Steven Lowy.

For Solomon – the first and only Australian since Cathy Freeman to reach a sprint final at an Olympic Games – the recognition from Maccabi NSW holds deep personal significance.

Speaking with The AJN and Penkin last week, Solomon reflected, “I look back on my athletic career with memories that I hope will never leave me and I’m glad that this is going to become one of those.

“To be recognised among such a great group of past athlete inductees and no doubt an incredible group of future athletes as well, is something that I’m honoured to be a part of.”

Solomon won six Australian titles, made a world championship and Commonwealth Games final and won silver at the 2013 Maccabiah Games. He credited the support and influence of his parents and his first coach Fira Dvoskina as guiding lights.

The 400m specialist’s career reached a crescendo at the Tokyo Olympics, where at age 28, he achieved a PB of 44.94 seconds, nine years after his previous PB at the London Olympics.

“Between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 13, I didn’t run any quicker. The Tokyo Olympics was the fastest I ever ran, but more than that, it was the journey that I had gone through from that 19-year-old to the 28-year-old and all the things that I had to do to get that performance, is what I’m super proud of.

“I had injuries and surgeries, but I still loved what I was doing and one thing I knew was that yes, I wasn’t quite there, but I was close [to a PB]. I persevered and it finally happened.”

Solomon’s connection to the Jewish community has been a constant throughout his career.

“I felt the love and support of the Jewish community every time I touched the start line for a race,” he explained. “I got the responsibility of representing us, our culture and our religion and that’s very meaningful.

“I actually went to two Maccabiah Games – the first one was as a junior soccer player – and that was a formative moment of my childhood as I didn’t go to a Jewish school.”

His advice to young people is to “find something that you love and that you are good at and then try and take it to as high a level as you can, and surround yourself with people trying to do the same thing”.

Pillemer was first inducted into the Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame in 2012 in the athlete category and will be the first to be inducted into a second category, administration.

He played for Hakoah FC in the National Soccer League, earning the league’s Best Player Award in 1994 and 1995 and also played in nine consecutive Maccabiah Games, most recently as a masters player at the 2022 Games, when he was Australia’s delegation captain and a co-flag bearer with Lauren Ehrlich.

Pillemer also served on Hakoah’s board for more than two decades, including in the key role of chairperson for eight years and he was instrumental in the club’s rise from the NSW fourth division to the State League One.

“I’m very honoured and humbled to be inducted in the administration category, especially when I look at how accomplished the other inductees are,” Pillemer said.

Beyond on-field achievements, he’s particularly proud of the club’s efforts to combat antisemitism through education.

“As much as wins and getting promoted, I’ve always been big on just creating the right culture and the right environment, that people want to be part of.

“And I think the White City redevelopment is a game-changer for the community, Hakoah and Maccabi, whereby we can have a home for all of us.”

Both inductees emphasise Maccabi’s vital community-building role as the organisation begins its second century.

“I think Maccabi plays a very pivotal role in our community and I think that now more than ever – from juniors right through to seniors,” Pillemer said.

Solomon echoed that sentiment, highlighting sport’s developmental and communal value beyond high level competition.

“It’s a vehicle to make memories that are very foundational and developmental,” he said.

To book tickets to the November 10 Maccabi NSW centenary gala dinner and Hall of Fame induction ceremony, visit https://events.humanitix.com/maccabi-nsw-100th-rego