Allison & Gayle's Maccabiah Games

First came Allison (#15) in7th grade trying out for the middle school volleyball team. While being a competitive gymnast and softball player, she decided to try a new sport, Volleyball. The coach immediately recognized her athletic ability and gave her the ball and taught her how to set. She started right away in both 7th & 8th grade. When she got to high school, she was the only freshman chosen for the varsity team. During the next four years she was constantly on the court and after many individual awards and a state championship, she found herself as the all time school leader in assists. As a 15 year old she was playing club volleyball with 18 year old girls and headed to Atlanta to play in the Junior Olympics. The rest of her club career had her travelling to Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Washington DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania with her club Atlantic Valley Volleyball. 
Upon graduating high school, Allison was recruited by a half dozen schools including Tufts, Susquehanna and Connecticut College. She decided that she would attend Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. During her four years at F&M she helped the team go to the NCAA National Tournament as a Sophomore, in her Junior and Senior years she led the Centenial Conference in assists and passed the 2,000 career assists mark. 
In 2015 Allison joined other young Jewish students in a trip to Israel through the Birthright program.  It is here that her appreciation for her family history and her connection to Judiasim flourished. Combining her love of competition on the volleyball court and her new found love of the land of Israel makes this opportunity to represent the United States in the third largest athletic event in the world so special. Making this trip with her sister Gayle makes it perfect.

Gayle (#30) had been travelling to volleyball matches to watch her sister play from the age of 10. Gayle excelled in the arts and was a performer as a young child specializing in dance and theater. She was also an athlete and played on many travelling softball teams throughout New Jersey. Gayle would follow in her sisters footsteps when in came to volleyball. She would also be recognized by her middle school coach for her athletic ability and was a starter on her team. Also like her sister, she excelled at the setter position and learned the game. In high school, she was one of two freshmen to make the varsity team and was a starter from day one. Gayle won many individual awards including All State as a Senior. Under her leadership the team won multiple County and Conference chamionships. As her four years winds down, she has passed her sister as the all time leader in assists at Livingston High School. Gayle has played club volleyball for Atlantic Valley and has had the opportunity to travel to Virginia, Massachusettes, Pennsylvania and Florida to play. Gayle has been recruited by Washington College, Arcadia University, Susquehanna University and Springfield College but has accepted admissions to McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland and will be starting classes and playing volleyball there this fall.
Gayle has been participating in Diller Teen Fellowship Program, a leadership program directed by JCC Of MetroWest in New Jersey. This program for high school sophomores and juniors is an intense 18 month program designed to expose US teens to their Israeli counterparts and learn about their Jewish heritage and current  events and life in Israel. Gayle spent three weeks in Israel, touring and learning with other contempraries from Israel and other countries across the globe. This experience has been transformative for her and has helped to mold herJewish identity.
Travelling to Israel to play in the 20th Maccabiah Games with her sister would be the most thrilling trip of her life.

The Maccabiah Games in Israel are held every 4 years. This year will be the 20th anniversary of the first events. It will include over 10,000 athletes from 80 countries and will host close to 25,000 fans. To offset the cost of training and the actual trip for the athletes- $8,000 each, we are hoping that our friends, families and those who support volleyball and the state of Israel will help send these two young ladies on an experience of a lifetime. To have the opportunity to play a sport they love, representing the United States in a country they have both come to love is an amazing opportunity. To do it together, as sisters, is just perfect.
Thank you....... From all of us
Allison, Gayle, Theresa and Phil Edelstein