Class of 2013
Jed Margolis has enjoyed a lengthy and honored career fostering Jewish identity through athletics over the last 40 years in the JCC World and at Maccabi USA where he has served as Executive Director since 2002. Under his tenure, record numbers of Americans have participated in Maccabi competitions in Australia, South America, Europe and Israel. One of the many highpoints in his Maccabi USA stewardship came in 2009 when he was honored as a member of the Maccabi USA Leadership Team by The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as the recipient of the Dick Steinberg “Good Guy” Award.
Margolis was born in Philadelphia but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where his father, Henry, served as Executive Director of the Bureau of Jewish Education and was a role model for the career path his son would eventually take.
As a member of the Yeomen Basketball team for Oberlin College, he played a key role when they won the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship in 1970. Margolis earned seven letters at Oberlin – four in Basketball, one in Track & Field, one in Golf, and one in Soccer where he was the starting goalie. Upon graduation in 1973, he accompanied his father to the former USSR to help certify Jewish Refuseniks as Hebrew teachers. Later that summer he participated in the 9th World Maccabiah Games in Israel as a member of the USA Men’s Basketball team, winning a Silver Medal. Margolis also represented the USA as a member of the Masters Men’s Gold Medal Basketball Team, coached by NBA Legend Dolph Schayes, at the 1995 Pan Am Maccabi Games in Uruguay.
In 2008, Margolis was recognized by his High School, Cleveland Heights, with their Distinguished Alumni Award; and in 1991 was the recipient of JCCA’s Arthur Brodkin Award for outstanding dedication and service to the JCC field where he worked for 27 years. Over the last 30+ years, he and his wife Beth have led groups of teens to Israel and were volunteers for Maccabi USA.
