Seffrican versus ex-pat Seffrican, who do you back?

South Africans are being pitted against South African expats or their children at the Maccabi Games and for some, this poses a small conflict of interest … or not.

King David Linksfield alumnus Gary Flaks, for example, will be hoping that his country of birth comes off second best when his son plays against South Africa.

“Any parent will always want their child to win over their affiliation to any country, so I will be shouting for the United States [US],” says Flaks, whose son Eden is playing for America’s under-18 futsal team.

Judd Michel, whose son Ariah is captaining Australia’s soccer team, has a different view, “I feel that regardless of who he plays for, I’m just proud of him. As Jews, it doesn’t matter which country we play for at the Maccabiah. Competing and experiencing the magic of the Maccabiah is the main thing.”

Michal Sasportas says she is proud to see her daughter, Jessica Rae Segal, representing Israel in golf at the games, just a year after making Aliya from South Africa.

“Jessica will be the first in our family to compete in the games and we are so proud that she follows in the steps of her father, who made his mark in the sporting world,” says Sasportas. “To be able to do this representing Israel makes it extra special.”

It has been Segal’s dream to represent Israel at the Maccabiah, and realising it is her greatest achievement in golf, she says. “Golf is my passion and I love being part of a team and experiencing the team spirit that comes with it. I jumped at the opportunity to try out in the qualifiers.”

Segal was drawn to the sport as a youngster after watching her father, an excellent all-round sportsman who competed at Wimbledon, play golf.

Likewise, Ariah got into soccer as a youngster through his father, who participated at three Maccabi games in either futsal or football. Eden’s love for the beautiful game stems partly from his father being a top-level soccer player back in the day. “I love to follow in my dad’s footsteps so when I saw he was a top player, that’s what my goal was to be,” says Eden.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ilan Danziger took up cycling only last year, yet he is competing in the sport at the Maccabiah. “I always knew I was going to cycle when I got ‘older, but due to Covid restrictions, I only started at the beginning of 2021. Cyclists were able to get out on the road and exercise and we took full advantage of the situation,” says Danziger, who made Aliya from South Africa with his wife and two dogs in March 2020. “I joined a cycling group called Drops. I didn’t realise how serious the group was. I was just there for fun but enjoyed the structured training and people, so I became a cyclist.”

Danziger, who cycles between 300 and 500 kilometres a week, says his best cycling achievement so far, is winning his category at a race in Beit Guvrin, in April. The Maccabi race this year will follow the same route.

Making the US Maccabi futsal team this year is one of Eden’s greatest accomplishments in soccer. “There were tons of people who tried out for the biggest delegation taking place,” says Eden, who emigrated from South Africa with his family when he was three. “Soccer and futsal are the top two biggest sports in the tournament. I’ve also been able to get the most goals and assists for my club team as well as high school. Another achievement is winning many hard tournaments with my club team against very good high-level teams.”

Ariah, who played college football in the US, ranks being named in the Australian schoolboy team and captaining the New South Wales schoolboys as his top achievements in soccer.

He says it’s beautiful to be at the Maccabiah and special to play for Australia. “Our selection process was a bit screwed up this year because we had a coach leave. But essentially most of the players who play in the top tier would just be selected for the team and then there were trials. Obviously, for us who have been named captain of the squad, it’s been an amazing experience.”

Ariah says his father left South Africa for the opportunities in Australia. “He was looking for a better life in terms of our health and safety and really paved the path for us  in the business world.”

Nevertheless, his father remains a South African at heart. “I love the Springboks especially (I represented the Boks at tumbling), but I’m also Australian now and back my son’s team at the Maccabiah,” says Michel. “If I played for Australia, I would be proud to and would give 100%,  like I did for South Africa.”

On that note, Flaks says, “For a long time I felt South African but after 15 years, we now feel more American. At the opening ceremony, we had more emotion when the US entered. I did not know or think I would feel that way. Definitely a shift, even though SA is still in our hearts.”

Flaks, whose brothers competed in gymnastics at two Maccabiahs, played futsal in the 1993 games for the SA open team. “I managed to get a red card against Brazil after some very controversial rulings in a tight game. The overall experience was incredible, as it still is today, regardless of your nation.”

His son’s participation at this year’s games came about from initially trying out for the USA under-18 outdoor soccer team. “The try-outs were in July of 2021, and I ended up making the alternate team,” says Eden. “This meant I had the choice of either waiting for a spot to open on the outdoor team or choosing to play for the futsal team. I chose to come to futsal because I wanted to play, rather than just taking the chance of no spots opening.”

Eden, who plays soccer all year for his club and high school team, says being at the games has been one of the best experiences of his life. “Being with a great group of boys as teammates and getting to bond with them, having free time, hanging out, having every meal together has been amazing and shown us what a great team really is. Not only that, but also meeting other Jewish athletes from all over the world. Also, getting to compete in the sport you love makes the experience a whole lot better. It brings you to meeting athletes who enjoy what you enjoy.”