Allen Gerskup

Website: Maccabi Canada

Not much separates Allen Gerskup and his love and respect for the Maccabi movement. Allen might be an accountant by profession - but he's also a jock. He has played baseball for years but his biggest accomplishments have not come from hitting home runs - but expanding a league and looking for opportunities to get Jewish athletes involved and participating. As Commissioner of the B'Nai Brith Baseball league from 1980 to 1985, he took a league from 36 teams to 106 - making it the largest organized baseball league in the world.

His affiliation and love for Maccabi started in 1985 when he travelled with the Canadian Maccabi softball team to Israel as team manager and won a silver medal at the 12th Maccabiah Games. Four years later, Gerskup went to the radio airwaves joining broadcaster Mel Raskin as the voice of Maccabi Canada at the 1989 Games providing colour commentary on softball games along with daily reports.

That same year, Allen was appointed to the Maccabi Canada Board of Directors. In 1993, he became a member of the Organizing Committee for Canada's delegation to the Maccabiah Games, then spent eight years as Chairman of the National Athletic Committee and continues to be an integral member of the National Executive - something that started in 1997.In the summer of 2005, he was Maccabi Canada's Head of Delegation for the 17th Maccabiah Games.

An experienced leader and administrator, that wasn't his first experience heading up a team of athletes, coaches and administrators. Allen took on major responsibilities for Maccabi Canada at the Pan-American Games in Argentina (1995), Mexico (1999) and Chile (2003).

As Maccabi Canada's latest President, Allen will continue to nurture his outstanding international reputation in Jewish Sports communities with on-going responsibilities as a key member of the International Sports Committee for Maccabi World Union.
Allen is a member of the Board of Directors of Beth Torah Synagogue in Toronto.  Allen and wife Maida have two children, Stuart and Gillian. Stuart and his wife Alysa are the parents of Gabbi.