It was not until 1950 that the games were renewed . The 3rd Maccabah took place during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot from September 27 to October 8 , 1950 . The games were the first International sporting event to take place in The State of Israel . The games served as a Confluence of all outstanding Jewish athletes from around the world , after a 15-year break . The games also served a significant milestone in the life of the Jewish people , after The Holocaust and the 1947 – 1949 Palestine war . During those games , many prominent Jewish athletes from Eastern Europe were conspicuously absent from - some were killed in the Holocaust and the remaining were banned from participating by the communist regimes of their countries . The Maccabiah opening ceremony took place in a new 50,000-seat stadium in Ramat Gan that was especially built for the games
The Holocaust
The Holocaust
History of the Maccabiah Games