Houstonian is competing for USA’s tennis team in Maccabiah Games
Padel and tennis have a lot in common. Both sports use the same type of ball and require the same strokes. Scoring is the same.
The main difference is that a padel court is smaller and enclosed. And the racket is solid, as opposed to its stringed tennis racket counterpart.
“They are like sister sports,” Jack Levin said.
But if you’ve never heard of it, Levin said he wouldn’t be surprised. “It’s exploding all over the world, except here in the U.S.”
And don’t get it confused with pickleball, which is gaining popularity in this country. Padel is more aerobic, Levin explained. It’s like tennis meets squash.
“If you’re a tennis player, you can acclimate to padel within 10 minutes,” he said.
Levin, who is 80, loves both sports — and plays each twice a week. He has a dedicated crew of friends for matches.
Levin’s passion for padel landed him a spot in the 21st Maccabiah Games — the third largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympics and the World Cup. He’s playing on the tennis team but was instrumental in starting a padel competition, which will debut this year in Israel.
Levin left Houston on July 10. Opening ceremonies were held in Jerusalem on July 14.
This will be Levin’s first time to join in the festivities.
“I’ve known about it all my life,” he said. “It’s like a mini Olympics. It’s huge.”
Except in this competition, all of the athletes are Jewish. “That’s a prerequisite,” Levin said.
The Maccabiah Games date to 1932 in Israel. And even further back, the first “Maccabi club,” formed in 1895 in Constantinople.
It was the first Jewish sports club in the world, created as a response to antisemitism. When a group of Jewish gymnasts were banned from joining the local sports club, they decided to create their own. The club was such a success that it was followed by Jewish sports clubs all over Europe.
Maccabi USA was established in 1948, originally as the United States Committee Sports for Israel (USCSFI), first formed to promote fitness for Jewish youth, while also “strengthening Jewish pride, connection and community.”
The namesake is Judah Maccabee, who is also the driving force in the Hanukkah story. Judah’s birthplace, Modi’in, is the starting location of the torch for the opening ceremony.
The Maccabiah Games are held every four years in Israel. There is also the Pan American Maccabi Games, held every four years and sponsored by the Latin American Maccabi Confederation.
The recent games were set for 2021, but COVID-19 caused a year’s delay.
Online, Maccabi USA lists 1,200 team members going to Israel to compete against athletes from around the world. Ages range from teens to 80somethings. In total, the Maccabiah Games includes 10,000 athletes from 60 countries, competing in 47 sports from July 12 to July 26.
“It’s everything,” he said. “But it’s more than just playing sports. It’s about celebrating tradition and building lifelong friendships. It strengthens Jewish ties worldwide.”
Events are scheduled around Israel, and athletes are encouraged to explore the country when not competing. Levin, who has traveled to Israel previously, plans to take a few tours.
For him, being part of the Maccabiah Games is like a dream.
“It’s been on my bucket list,” he said.
Levin started playing tennis growing up in South Africa. When he moved to Houston 46 years ago, he brought his racket along for the ride.
“I have been playing now for 50 years,” Levin said. “It’s just a great sport, and it’s a lifelong sport.”
He joined the tennis program at Chancellors Family Center, near Braeswood. He also became part of the former Houston City Club, which was opened in 1979 by tennis pro Greg Vinbladh, who served for 40 years as the club’s director of tennis.
Levin was a regular from the get-go.
“I don’t remember the club without him,” Vinbladh recalled. “He’s a very talented player.”
Levin won championships at the Houston City Club — but admitted he was never one for tournaments.
“It takes too much time,” he said. “And I was working full time. I got as much enjoyment out of playing with friends.”
Levin currently plays tennis at Life Time Galleria and padel at the Houstonian.
He remains a CPA and partner in the firm Snell, Levin & Co. During lockdown, while working from home, he found he had some extra time on his hands, which he used to pursue a question on his mind: Why isn’t there a padel team in the Maccabiah Games?
He emailed the Maccabi USA office and connected with program director Shane Carr.
That’s when Levin learned padel would be debuting at the Pan American games due to its growing popularity in Latin America. But as for the Maccabiah Games in Israel, it was a no go.
“They said no, that it wasn’t going to happen,” Levin said.
Still, he was connected with members of the padel commission for the Pan American games.
“They were all excited to have me in the group, and they said keep trying,” Levin recalled.
He went to work — and in October 2021, Carr called. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he told Levin.
The good news was that padel was added to the 2022 games, the bad news, that it would be only open division.
“That puts me out of it,” said Levin, who didn’t want to compete with younger athletes. Still, he was proud of the accomplishment.
“I had stirred the pot and got this going,” he said. “Then, I worked to put the team together.”
And Levin also caught the competition’s buzz. In November, he traveled to Florida to try out for the tennis competition, which uses age brackets, and won. In January, he learned he’d made the cut.
“I’m pretty impressed,” Vinbladh said. “It’s really a big deal, and I think he’ll do pretty well. He’s in great shape.”
His wife, Leorah Levin, and three sons, Doron, Ilan and Daniel Levin, encouraged him to go for the gold.
“My kids said, ‘Dad, do it. You’ve always wanted to do it,’ ” Levin recalled.
He signed on. As a CPA, February through April are his busiest times. So he waited until April 16 to start training with coach Niclas Kroon, a recommendation from Vinbladh. Levin had to learn to play on a clay court. He worked with Kroon at the Forest Club, which has the right surface.
By July, he was ready to go to Israel.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said a day before his flight. “The most emotional experience of the games is the opening ceremony. They say you remember it for the rest of your life. There’s a lot of joy.”
He explained that Jewish athletes from all around the world will stand together. There will be Shabbat celebrations — and time to connect with each other in Israel.
“I take pride in being Jewish,” he said.
Since moving to Houston, Levin has been a member of Beth Yeshurun — “from the day I arrived,” he said.
“He’s perfect,” Vinbladh said. “He’s a great representative for his city, for his religion, for everything. He’s just a great guy.”