Social media star Montana Tucker to host Maccabiah Games delegation parade

Social media influencer, dancer, and singer Montana Tucker is set to host the delegation parade for the 2026 Maccabiah Games, an event often referred to as the "Jewish Olympics." Scheduled to begin next week in Israel, the games are considered the largest Jewish sporting competition globally. Tucker expressed her enthusiasm for the role, highlighting the games' significance for the international Jewish community at a time of heightened global challenges.

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Israel has gone through a lot, Israelis have gone through a lot, Jews have gone through a lot around the world. What's going on is not just happening in Israel; it's really happening all around the world with our Jewish community. So, an event like the Maccabiah Games is showing the world that we are strong, we are united, and we don't give up, and we keep fighting.

"Israel has gone through a lot, Israelis have gone through a lot, Jews have gone through a lot around the world," Tucker told The Jerusalem Post. "What's going on is not just happening in Israel; it's really happening all around the world with our Jewish community. So, an event like the Maccabiah Games is showing the world that we are strong, we are united, and we don't give up, and we keep fighting."

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This was supposed to happen last year, and about a month away, we had to cancel it due to the war. And so I am so grateful that it is happening this year, because we truly do need this now more than ever.

The Maccabiah Games typically bring together over 10,000 athletes from approximately 80 countries, competing in more than 45 sports. According to Maccabiah, it ranks as the second-largest sporting event worldwide, following the Olympics. The 2026 edition was initially planned for last year but was postponed due to security concerns related to Iran and its regional proxies. Tucker noted the necessity of the games proceeding this year, stating, "This was supposed to happen last year, and about a month away, we had to cancel it due to the war. And so I am so grateful that it is happening this year, because we truly do need this now more than ever."

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It's all about unity and building bridges and bringing people together. And some of the lyrics say ‘we may pray to different saviors, but we're not strangers.’ Our world is so divided right now. I think that we really just need to come together and have more unity and compassion and understanding of one another. And if we really talk to people who look differently than us, act differently than us, have a different religion than us, we'll realize we're actually more similar than we think.

Tucker also plans to debut her new song, "We're Not Strangers," at the event, a piece focused on unity and building bridges. She believes sports possess a unique ability to unite the world. This year's Maccabiah Games hold particular weight as they are the first since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks, which triggered wider regional conflicts. Tucker emphasized the importance of remembering these events and highlighted that a former hostage is scheduled to perform, calling it "so powerful."

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We always have to talk about what happened on October 7. We should never stop talking about it. And I think it is so important that Maccabiah is utilizing this platform to talk about it. I know they actually have a former hostage, Daniella Gilboa, who's going to be performing, which is so powerful.