A week before the opening of the Maccabiah Games thousands of Jewish athletes have already arrived from all over the world, including the 400-strong delegation from Australia. As soon as they landed in Israel the delegation members set out to plant trees at KKL-JNF’s planting center in Nahshon Forest. “The moment my hands touched the ground I immediately felt at home, despite the long journey we’d made and the enormous distance we’d covered.”