Last spring, collegiate gymnast Gabrielle Nadler was ready to represent Team USA at the Maccabiah Games in July 2025 until the war between Israel and Iran postponed the competition.

“There were a lot of tears that day,” the now 23-year-old Potomac resident said.

Nadler was among the 34 D.C.-area athletes who competed in the rescheduled Maccabiah Games — the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition — held in Israel from June 30 to July 13. On July 7, she participated in four Open women’s artistic gymnastics events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor, competing against fellow gymnasts from the United States, Mexico and Israel.

While Israel pulled ahead and medaled in all but one of the division’s events, Nadler wasn’t far behind at fourth out of seven on vault. She finished sixth out of 10 on the uneven bars, ninth out of 11 on balance beam and eighth out of 11 on floor.

Vault was the least difficult of the four events for Nadler, who learned those skills at the age of 12 or 13.

“I was actually able to put some really clean vaults up,” she said. “I hadn’t done this event in years.”

Nadler hit some rough patches with a fall on the uneven bars and beam, citing competition-day jitters. “But I still finished every routine smiling,” she said.

These Games were especially meaningful for Nadler. The SUNY Cortland graduate had envisioned July 2025 — just months after her college graduation — as her “last hurrah.” Instead, she was thrown into a year of solo practice to prepare for the postponed Maccabiah Games.

“Most gymnasts, if they become college gymnasts, that’s where it ends. This has been an extra year of gymnastics for me, but I have something that I’m working for, so it’s been worth it,” Nadler told Maccabi USA.

Potomac swimmer Mitch Berliner similarly had an additional year to train.

“I was in the pool three to four days a week, and I was in there for an hour, an hour and a half max, working really hard, doing drills, just swimming all the time,” the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Famer said.

The 2026 Maccabiah Games held a reinvigorated sense of energy this summer, reflecting this year’s slogan “More than ever.”

Berliner, 78, competed in seven events in the Masters division — for ages 35 and older. Though he earned five medals — including second in his age category for the 200- and 400-meter freestyle — the Games were more about camaraderie than winning times for him.

“I think I speak for everybody that we were just really proud to be there in solidarity with the Israeli public,” he said. “We love to be in Israel, love to meet fellow Jews, schmooze … and all that stuff.”

More than 900 athletes, coaches, journalists and volunteers converged in Israel for the Games.

“Our delegation represents the strength, diversity, and spirit of American Jewish life, and we are proud to create opportunities that connect these world-class athletes to Israel, to one another, and to the global Jewish community,” Maccabi USA CEO Marshall Einhorn said in a press release. “The friendships, memories, and experiences they will take home will last far beyond the Games themselves.”

This July felt different than previous years in that some countries that had competed in the past were unable to send official delegations due to travel warnings and insurance restrictions tied to Israel’s status as a “war zone.”

“So for the people that came, this was a real [opportunity to say], ‘We’re here to show our support for Israel. We love Israel. We’re not afraid to come,’” Berliner said.

In the streets of Israel or at the shuk, the locals were enthused to see Nadler and the other gymnasts there to compete.

“They cheer you on and everyone’s very excited,” Nadler recalled. “We tell [food vendors] we’re here for Maccabiah and they cheer us on, wish us good luck.”

She and her teammates traded their country’s flag pins and shirts with athletes from other countries. Nadler added that she enjoyed getting to meet the other gymnasts.

“I got a T-shirt from one of the Israeli girls and gave her a USA shirt,” Nadler said. “It just didn’t feel like there was a huge competition or rivalry. It just felt like everyone was there to have fun and make new friends.”

Being in Israel also offered athletes a chance to explore the region and contribute to local tourism.

Berliner and his fellow teammates dined at restaurants, visited holy sites and toured museums in Israel when they weren’t in the pool.

“We’re here for that, and I think that probably made this a little bit different than most Maccabiah Games for that reason,” he said.

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com