Asper Maccabi House

On July 17, 2022, at a special signing ceremony in Ramat Gan, Israel, Leonard Asper, Chair and Trustee of The Asper Foundation announced, a major gift of $2,500,000 US to Maccabi World Union (MWU), one of world’s largest, oldest and most venerated Zionist organizations. The gift will be used to support MWU’s new Asper Maccabi House, opening later this year, which will operate global education and leadership training initiatives as well as a new Museum of Jewish Sports.

MWU’s mission: Sound Jewish Minds in Healthy Jewish Bodies. It promotes Jewish peoplehood, unity and solidarity in order to achieve a bright Jewish future through lifelong voluntary community involvement and the centrality of the State of Israel in Jewish life.

MWU is the world’s only international Jewish and sports organization. It spans more than 450 clubs in over 80 countries in five continents and over 450,000 members. Founded in 1895, MWU uses its signature sports activities to attract Jews of all ages into closer personal identification and involvement with their communities and Israel. The Maccabi movement is a leading element in Jewish/Zionist informal education and a leading agent worldwide in the spread of popular Israeli culture.

Many Maccabi Clubs serve as community centers providing informal Zionist education and a wide diversity of educational, cultural, social, and sports activities. Most notably, MWU is the organizer of the Maccabiah Games in Israel every four years.