Sunday, July 21, 2013The nineteenth edition of the Maccabiah Games, one of the largest sporting events in the world, was inaugurated Thursday in Jerusalem’s Teddy Kollek Stadium. Jewish athletes from all over the globe take part in this event every four years. US gold Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman lit the Maccabi cauldron.

The ceremony was attended by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jerusalem’s mayor, Nir Barkat. This year, over 40 sports are scheduled to be contested by more than 70 countries.