Montana Tucker

Originally appeared in JNS.org on May 26, 2026

Ticket sales opened this week for the July 1 opening ceremony, featuring leading Israeli and American performers, including pro-Israel advocate Montana Tucker.

The 2026 Maccabiah Games will officially kick off on July 1 with a star-studded opening ceremony at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, featuring leading Israeli and American performers, hundreds of dancers, spectacular pyrotechnics and the traditional parade of Jewish athletes from around the world.

Ticket sales for the ceremony opened this week, according to a press release issued on Monday. The theme of this year’s Maccabiah is “More Than Ever.”

“This year, in the spirit of the annual message ‘More Than Ever,’ the Maccabiah 2026 Opening Ceremony will accommodate its largest capacity yet,” the press release stated. “Sales have now opened, and due to the expected demand, it is recommended to secure seats in advance.”

Among the featured performers billed for the opening ceremony is popular American actress, social media personality and pro-Israel advocate Montana Tucker.

American actress and social-media influencer Montana Tucker addresses the audience before the screening of “The Children of Oct. 7” on April 21, 2025. Photo by Izzy Salant.

Tucker will perform an original song and co-host the athletes’ parade with American-Israeli musician and content creator Michael HarPaz. Together, they will welcome competitors from around the globe.

Yuval Raphael, Israel’s representative at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, will open the evening with a new musical arrangement. Netta Barzilai, who won the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest for Israel, is scheduled to perform a duet with Anna Zak, a Russian-Israeli singer, actress and social media personality.

Idan Raichel, one of Israel’s most accomplished musicians, will be joined on stage by former hostages Daniella Gilboa and Edan Alexander for a special performance of some of his best-known songs.

Hosted by Israeli TV personality Assi Azar and dancer Anna Aronov and directed by Eldar Gohar Grossman, the opening ceremony will include the lighting of the Maccabiah torch, large-scale multimedia displays on two giant LED screens and a procession of thousands of athletes representing Jewish communities worldwide.

Often referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” the 22nd Maccabiah will take place from July 1-13 and is expected to bring together some 8,000 athletes from 55 countries competing in more than 30 sports.

Gates will open for the July 1 ceremony at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 7:30 p.m. Israel time.

Tickets are available to the public starting at 99 shekels. JNS readers can receive a special 10% promotional discount on the price of Opening Ceremony tickets. Go to https://tickets.leaan.net/event/-25-bawho9 and type “JNS10″ when prompted to “Add Promo Code.”

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Originally appeared in jns.org, December 22, 2025

“Your connection to Israel can never be disputed—read the Koran!” says Anila Ali, a Pakistani-American educator, author and civil-rights activist.

(Dec. 22, 2025 / JNS) For 13 Muslim influencers and imams visiting Israel, this was a Chanukah to remember. The annual fourth candle “Light Up Tel Aviv” celebration, sponsored by CAM, the global Combat Antisemitism Movement, was attended by hundreds at the Daniel Rowing Center on Tel Aviv’s Yarkon River. This event was the group members’ last stop on their tour of the Holy Land.

U.S. Army veteran and Pakistani-Muslim Mansoor Hussain Laghari at the “Light Up Tel Aviv” Chanukah celebration on Dec, 17, 2025. Photo by Howard Blas.

Their trip included visits to the site of the Oct. 7, 2023, Supernova music festival massacre and kibbutzim facing the Gaza Strip, Haifa, the Druze village of Isfiya and the Lebanese border. It included U.S. Army veteran and Pakistani-Muslim Mansoor Hussain Laghari getting kicked off the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, where he came to pray, for wearing a yellow pin in support of the hostages held in Gaza.

The Chanukah party was part lovefest, celebrating the relationships CAM fosters between Jews and Gentiles, part tribute to those recently killed in Sydney, Australia, and part acknowledgement that antisemitism continues to be a major issue in the world.

Attendees heard short speeches by Muslim and Jewish influencers and leaders, including Loay Alshareef, a leading influencer from the United Arab Emirates, and Montana Tucker, an American Jewish influencer and advocate, who came to the event directly from the White House Chanukah party.

Muslim influencers visiting Israel attend the “Light Up Tel Aviv” Chanukah celebration on Dec, 17, 2025. Photo by Howard Blas.

Sacha Roytman, the CEO of the five-year-old organization, which pioneers global efforts to combat hatred, safeguard Jewish life and address the broader societal impacts of antisemitism, opened the evening by welcoming the diverse group, which included Ambassador Ezra Cohen of Panama. Rashi Elmaliah, board member of the Israel-Australia Chamber of Commerce, paid tribute to those slain in Sydney.

Anila Ali, a Pakistani-American educator, author, civil-rights activist and the founder of the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council, is known for interfaith dialogue and combating extremism. The crowd clapped and cheered as she made the case for the right of the Jewish people to Israel.

“Your connection to Israel can never be disputed—read the Koran!” she said. She spoke movingly of her visit to the Supernova festival site and kibbutzim and assured the assembled that she is working to “build a new generation of Muslim leaders in America.”

Roytman encouraged Ali, who has visited Israel several times, including in 2022 on a mission with Pakistani expatriates. “Come with twice as many next time,” he said.

UAE-based, Saudi-born Egyptian activist Loay Alshareef speaks at the annual “Light Up Tel Aviv” Chanukah celebration, sponsored by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, at the city’s Daniel Rowing Center on Dec. 17, 2025. Photo by Howard Blas.

‘Proud to stand with my Jewish brothers‘

Alshareef also made the case for Israel. He playfully noted, “My love for Israel is not because of how great it is, how friendly it is, or for the great food. All true.” He continued, “The greatest thing about Israel is its history, which can never be disputed. I am proud to be here and stand with my Jewish brothers.”

Sheikh Musa Drammeh, a former Wall Street investment banker, at the “Light Up Tel Aviv” Chanukah celebration on Dec, 17, 2025. Photo by Howard Blas.

Alshareef singled out Gambian-born Sheikh Musa Drammeh, a community organizer and television host of “Muslim World News,” who is visiting Israel for the first time.

Drammeh, a former Wall Street banker, told JNS that his commitment to Israel and activism dated to 9/11. “My wife and I were both investment bankers until 9/11. We saw what happened and decided to pack up and fix the world. We realized we need to focus on Israel and Palestine. We needed to make sure the Muslim world recognized Israel like all other nations.” 

He views support of Israel as based on the Koran. “Any Muslim who is anti-Zionist, anti-Israel or antisemitic is either ignorant or a hypocrite, because the Koran is the most pro-Israel book you can find.”

He proudly notes that he has been critical of New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. “I told him there are lots of Muslims for Israel, and you don’t speak for us.”

Sava Diamandi, counsellor at the Romanian embassy in Israel, spoke of his country’s fight against antisemitism. “We have a history during the Holocaust and had to face the truth because it was hidden for years.

“We see the ghost of the past coming out in the form of antisemitism. We feel it is our historical legacy to connect and build bridges between Romania and Israel.”

Diamandi said that Romania is “on the side of the peace process” and that his country supports an eventual two-state solution.

Ron Segev, a survivor of the Supernova massacre, lit candles for the fourth night of Chanukah. Segev shared his story of survival and rescue of others and his devotion to helping other survivors “as part of my healing journey.”

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