By Dr. Laura Segall, High School Principal
Each year, students around the world voluntarily take on the challenge of studying Chumash and Navi for several months to participate in the annual Chidon Hatanach – Bible Contest. Hebrew Academy students are no exception! In early March, our students joined 150 other Montreal-area students to write the Regional Chidon Hatanach competition. All students across Canada write the same Regional exam and the top scorers in each city advance to the National Contest, held on alternate years in Montreal and in Toronto. Twenty- eight Hebrew Academy students from Grades 5 through 10 will be moving onto the National Contest in May!
On Tuesday March 24, family and friends gathered at TBDJ to honour this year’s finalists in the Montreal Regional Chidon Hatanach. Mazal Tov to Hebrew Academy students Jacob Silverman who placed second, and Adam Levy who ranked third in the Grade 5/6 division and to Gabriel Mamane who ranked first in the Grade 7/8 division.
On hand to encourage and honour the regional winners were National Winners Eliana Rohr and Yehonatan Haimovici. These two Grade 10 students will be traveling to Israel to represent Canada in the International competition set to take place on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Eliana and Yehonatan tied for third place in the Canadian National Competition. Hatzlacha Rabba to the both of them!
A very special thank you and Yasher Koach to our coaches Mr. Warren Rohr (Elementary) and Mrs. Ora Amar-Rubenstein (High School) for their phenomenal and tireless work in coaching our students.
Thank you to Chidon Chair Rabbi Yamin Benarroch and to Dr. Shimshon Hammerman and his BJEC team Mr. Arlazar Eliashiv, Ms. Susan Ackerman and Mrs. Helen Kaufman for organizing and running this incredible competition.
The Chidon Hatanach is sponsored by the Bronfman Jewish Education Center (Montreal), the board of Jewish Education (Toronto), the Canadian Zionist Federation and the Jewish National Fund.
For more photos of the ceremony please click here.