Nine elite Jewish Rowers have been appointed to the Maccabi USA Rowing Team and will compete at the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel, July 12 - 23. They will be part of the USA Team of over 980 athletes, joining 8000 other Jewish athletes from over 60 countries.
Head coach, Craig Hoffman, of Berwyn, PA has great expectations for the Team. "Besides competing to win gold medals at the Games, I hope all members of the Rowing Team embrace their Jewish heritage. I am personally looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in Israel." Hoffman, Head Rowing Coach at Malvern Preparatory School, will be joined by assistant coach, Elizabeth Meltzer, Director of Rowing at Lehigh University.
The Rowing Team consists of nine members from five states. They are: Elizabeth Barnett of Huntington, NY; Anna Kamerow of Chevy Chase, MD; Gregory Kaplan of Philadelphia, PA; Peter Morelli of Cambridge, MA; Caroline Post of Wayne, PA; Talia Retelny of Aventura, FL; Jeremy Serkin of New York, NY; Ryan Strauss of Philadelphia, PA; and Jonathan Werner of Atlanta, GA.
Prior to the commencement of the Games, the Rowing Team will join all other Juniors, Youth and Open Teams at a Cultural Pre-camp in Israel. The Pre-camp provides a unique opportunity for the athletes to explore the culture and beauty of Israel and learn about their own heritage.