MITCHELL BERLINER

While an enthusiastic recreational swimmer, Mitch had never swum competitively. He had always dreamed of participating in the Maccabi program and decided to sign up for the recent Pan American Maccabi Games. He found a coach and went through an intense retraining program, learning how to swim correctly. The games were held in Santiago, Chile in 2015. He competed in the 50, 200 and 400 meter freestyle races and was also was entered into several relays. In total, Mitch won four gold and one silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, even beating competitors 20 years younger.

Mitch has been involved with numerous Jewish philanthropic organizations, including the Bender JCC, and was a Federation Super Sunday co-chair and American Committee for The Weizmann Institute Chair, among other positions of leadership. He has served on the board of directors of the Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation, on the fundraising committee of The Washington Capital Area Food Bank and, in conjunction with the Central Farm Markets, has donated over 160,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Manna Food Center in Montgomery County. He serves on the board of Bethesda Green in an effort to bring more green practices to the area’s businesses and citizens. Mitch intends to compete in the Maccabi Games in Israel in July 2017 and other local meets.