New board members for Maccabi Australia
MACCABI Australia has re-elected Harry Procel as president for a fifth year and elected two new board members.
AJN STAFF
TWO new faces were added to the board of Maccabi Australia Incorporated (MAI) at the annual general meeting held in Melbourne last week.
Board members re-elected Harry Procel as president for a fifth year. Jeff Houseman was elected to the MAI board, replacing the outgoing Michael Swibel.
Houseman has been a member of Maccabi NSW since 1965, a club president, Junior Carnival team manager, president and life member of Maccabi NSW, and junior team manager for the 18th Maccabiah.
He is also chairman of the Maccabi Australia International Games to be held in Sydney late next year. Procel said he was delighted with the appointment.
“Jeff’s experience and commitment will be of great benefit to MAI and I welcome his addition,” Procel told The AJN.
Jeff Sher was coopted to the MAI board. Sher has been involved with Maccabi since immigrating to Australia in 1978.
He has participated in five Maccabiah Games, winning eight medals, including four gold and two silver in the masters swimming competition at the recent Maccabiah.
He has been a club secretary and president and brings significant business leadership and administration experience to the role.
“With his business acumen, sporting feats and experience living in Sydney and Melbourne, we are delighted to welcome his skill set to the MAI board,” Procel said.
The board paid tribute to the outgoing Swibel, who has contributed greatly to the Maccabi movement since his appointment to the MAI executive in September 2005, most recently holding the national sport portfolio.
He served as a Maccabi World Union delegate from 2006-08, was the head of delegation at the European Maccabi Games in Rome in 2007, and was Australian assistant team manager at the Pan American Maccabi Games in Buenos Aires in 2007/08.