The 2022 Maccabiah Games – Both Teams Medaled!

After years of Maccabi USA Rugby teams representing the United States in Israel, 2022 marked a major milestone: for the first time, Maccabi USA sent a Women’s Rugby team to the Maccabiah.

The women’s team arrived in Israel ready to compete, and they quickly showed that they belonged on the international stage. Led by Ellie Fromstein and Rachel Harkavy, with coaches Eyal Hakim and Sam Harrison and medical support from Ethan Berger and Julie Tucker, the team represented a new chapter for Maccabi USA Rugby.

The Inaugural Women’s Maccabi USA Rugby Team 

Women’s Open Rugby

Top: Sam Harrison, Yamama Dagash, Olivia Wolff, Olivia Snyder, Maria Bashmakov, Rachael Harkavy, Lisa Jancso, Xanni Brown, Eyal Hakim
Kneeling: Yael Kelley, Sarai Kariv, Ellie Fromstein, Michal Sabato, Julie Cohn

And they came home with a Silver medal.

The final was a hard-fought match against Israel. The USA started strong and physical, pushing Israel around the field and scoring through Ellie. In the second half, Israel’s depth and speed ultimately proved too much.

On the men’s side, the 2022 Games brought their own share of heartbreak and highlights. Traveling short as a result of COVID-19, The 15s team came within a point of Australia, falling 24–23 on a last-minute penalty, before finishing their competition with a dominant win against Israel. The 7s team also put together a strong tournament, defeating Great Britain 34–5 in the Bronze Medal match to bring home a medal.

The 2022 Men’s Open Maccabi USA Rugby Team, Led By the Macca Bear

Men’s Open Rugby

Top: Ari Flink, Simon Honig, Adam Markun, Cooper Laczkowski, Josh Galant, Jon Fonveille, Ryan Chavkin, Ben Bikoff
Middle: Suzanne Seidel, Zach Getson, Dan Ponti, Phil Hanson, Will Crawford, Joey Goldbloom, Adam Satz, Even Wellers, Lucas Taub, Ben Wells, Julie Tucker
Seated: Mason Pedersen, David ‘Buzzy’ Rudzinsky, Alex Appel, Jon ‘JK Tours’ Kastelan, Shawn Cox, Jared Braun, Mikey Rudzinsky, Matt Sarna, Devin Ibanez, Barry Seidel, Taylor Howden

There were wins. There were losses. There were close calls that could have gone either way.

The 2022 Maccabiah gave Maccabi USA Rugby something to build on. It created connections between players, coaches, families and communities, and it established a new tradition for women’s rugby within the program.

Billy Stewart (Houston Sabercats) & Tahlia Brody (USA Rugby) were selected, but had to back out before the games.