Virtual Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals

Dear Chidon National Finalists, Proud Parents, Family, and Friends and Beyond!

Wow! What a special day it was! For those of you who would like to relive moments from this past Sunday’s Virtual USA Chidon Ha’Tanach, I am attaching some links to the day’s events here. Feel free to share!

Here’s a link to the full concluding ceremony: https://youtu.be/TfJv8ZNsaUM. For some other moments from Sunday:

1. Tours By Nachliel Selevan can be found here and here
2. The Final Kahoot Can be found here
3. The Concluding Ha’Tikvah can be found here
4. Contestant Greetings from around the country here
5. Announcing winners from each division here

The exams will be posted to our website later in the summer. I will be posting this year’s new material later this week. If you’re itching to start already, it will include Devarim (minus Perek 28) and all of Shemuel Bet.

We loved celebrating with you today at our Virtual Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals. I’m attaching a very short feedback form here.. I would really appreciate if you could take a few moments to fill it out.

Congrats one more time to all of our National Finalist. Stay tune for our unique additional round this coming August. Hope to see you in person at the 2021 National Finals! And for a list of this year’s Top Scorers, see the link below!

USAChidon HaTanach National Finals 2020 – Top Scores

FAQ For Upcoming Virtual USA Chidon Ha’Tanach

See attached for an important FAQ! See everyone soon.

FAQ – USA Chidon 2020

Preliminary Schedule for Upcoming Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals!

See below for a preliminary schedule of the Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals this Sunday, May 10th. An updated schedule with more specific times for carnival activities as well as accompanying zoom links will be sent out to contestants later this week.

Major Chidon Ha’Tanach News!

As we move to transition between Yom Ha’Zikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut we would like to share some exciting news with you! We are tremendously excited to announce the naming of the USA Chidon Ha’Tanach. The USA Chidon Ha’Tanach is being named in honor of Dr. Shimshon Isseroff. Dr. Isseroff served as the chair of the USA Chidon Ha’Tanach for decades. We look forward to sharing more with you about Dr. Isseroff’s unique contributions to Jewish education over the course of our virtual National Finals on May 10 and in upcoming Chidon Ha’Tanach events. We thank Israel and Nechama Polak (Dr. Isseroff’s daughter) for enabling this exciting naming. For now, for a brief overview of Dr. Isseroff’s special contributions to education please see the attached document.

About Dr. Shimshon Isseroff

On another exciting note, despite the corona virus the annual International Chidon Ha’Tanach will still take place at 11 AM  tomorrow morning in Israel. Three of our representatives – Yehuda Zinberg, Ezriel Vinar, and Nossi Shields – will be participating live from their homes in the USA (don’t ask about what time they will have to wake up!). Even if you don’t wake up to watch the Chidon live, you can watch it all day on the following link tomorrow. Here is the direct link: https://youtu.be/UIKB4XbzWyA. Good luck to our participants!

Wishing everyone a Yom Ha’Atzmaut Sameach. Check you emails for more news about the upcoming National Finals. We look forward to seeing many of you, your students, and your families virtually on Sunday May 10^th for the USA National Finals.

חזק ואמץ

-Dovi

 

Watch the International Chidon Ha’Tanach on Yom Ha’Atzmaut!

Despite the Corona virus, the International Chidon Ha’Tanach will still take place at 11 AM on Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Three of our representatives – Yehuda Zinberg, Ezriel Vinar, and Nossi Shields – will be participating live from their homes in the USA (don’t ask about what time they will have to wake up!). Our emotions at this moment are best captured in David Ben Gurion’s quote below, spoken at the first Chidon Ha’Tanach. See below for the link to watch live on Yom Ha’Atzmaut (and throughout the day). Good luck to our participants!

“There are three things that are truly one: our land, the birthplace of the Jewish people; the “Book of Books,” from which we derive our uniqueness; and the third, and this is the most crucial – the Jewish people themselves. If we are successful in tying together the scattered Jews around the exile with our developing land through the spiritual knot – the Tanach – then we will endure forever!

יש שלשה דברים שהם אחד… ארצנו – המולדת של העם היהודי, ‘ספר הספרים’ שממנו בא לנו הייחוד והסגולה… הדבר השלישי והוא העיקר: העם היהודי עצמו. אם נצליח לקשר את העולם היהודי המפוזר בגולה עם ארץ ישראל המתפתחת וגדלה, עם אותו הקשר רוחני העמוק העשיר והמעשיר- התנ”ך- לא יינתק אותו חוט משולש לעולם ועד

-David Ben Gurion, 1958. Speech Given at First International Chidon Ha’Tanach

Do you want to watch the Chidon on Yom HaAtzmaut?

Click Here for the direct link!

IMPORTANT CHIDON HA’TANACH UPDATES

Due a number of logistical considerations please note that the USA National Finals will be pushed off one week to Sunday, May 10^th.

Please note that significant thought is begin given to ensuring the integrity of the exam process as well as crafting a memorable experience for all National finalists. A detailed schedule of the day’s event is forthcoming. At this point the assumption is that all students will be taking the  written exam remotely from their individual homes. The most important thing to note at this stage is that

1.  Students have a computers with video capabilities
2. The exam will be timed. For example, whereas in the past the first exam had 70 questions to answer over seventy minutes, this year it will be closer to 70 questions over 50 minutes etc. I will have exact numbers for you included in one of forthcoming communications, but note that timing will be more important.

Please note:  A prize and certificate will be sent out to each qualifying National Finalist. These will be sent out to school and clubs.

Regarding the day itself. Please note that the exams will be take place at 11:00 AM EST on Sunday, May 10^th. Over the course of the rest of the day we are working on putting together some of the following exciting experiences:

1. National Wide Trivia Games to Compete in and Win Major Prizes
2. Chavruta’s with other Chidon National Finalists Around the Country
3. Shiurim with former National Champions

And, of course there will be a concluding National Event in the evening (exact timing TBD) open to the community that you won’t want to miss! During the event there will be more opportunities for prizes, a Nation Wide Siyum, a video showcasing Chidon students from around the country , and the top competitors from each division will be announced (the top three from each division, and more if there are ties).

I will remind you that a number of the top scorers from May 10^th  will be invited to participate in a final round on a date TBD in August. It remains to be seen whether this will take place in person or online depending on the current situation. Those who progress to this stage will receive more material to study oover the summer.

We look forward to seeing you on May 10th for a memorable and exciting experience for National Finalists and the entire community! Until then, חזק ואמץ!

 

 

 

 

Chidon Ha’Tanach News!

Stop the press! Yes! The Chidon Ha’Tanach will take place this year around the world! Congratulations to three of the American National Champions from last year who have now qualified to be amongst the top 16 competitors in the International competition on Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Yehuda Zinberg, Ezriel Vinar, and Nossi Shields. Ilan Eisenberg our fourth National Champion will hopefully go on to represent America in the Diaspora Competition this summer. See here for a glimpse into the unique way the International Chidon Ha’Tanach has adjusted to ensure the continuity of the annual competition.

And yes! The National Chidon Ha’Tanach will be happening remotely on May 3rd as well. More than 200 National Finalists have been invited to this exciting nation wide event. The remote competition will include various online competitions for individual students as well as teams to be able to win large prizes. Knowing your material well will count. Though we will not be meeting in person for the National Finals, I am excited about creating a lot of the energy that we felt at last year’s National Finals. Get excited for nation wide Tanach games, Chavrutot, shiurim and more. More information about the schedule and format will be send out in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more upcoming exciting announcements!

 

 

 

New Chidon Video, Registration 2020, and more!

If you haven’t seen it yet, please check out our newest video from the 2019 Chidon Hatanach USA National Finals. Here’s the link: Chidon National Finals 2019.

This is a reminder that that Chidon Hatanach Registration for the 2020 season is live. See the blog post below for more information. Here’s the link for registration: Chidon Hatanach 2020 Registration.

Sample regional exams and national finals exams from this past year are now posted under the exams tab.

If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look at our new Facebook page too: Chidon USA Facebook Page.

Stay tuned for our new and improved website and many other exciting additions to the Chidon HaTanach over the summer and beyond. Please be in touch with me at dovin@jafi.org with any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Have a wonderful summer! See you for Chidon Hatanach 2020!

 

 

Registration for Chidon HaTanach 2020 is Live!

The registration form for the USA Chidon HaTanach 2020 is now live!

Every school/club/private registrant must register (even if you’ve participated in the past) on the following registration link in order to receive important Chidon communications over the course of the summer and beyond. The new link to register is https://forms.gle/NHYo6mpP5Q64NhAQ9

Please check out coming year’s syllabus for a list of this year’s material as well as the schedule for dates of next year’s regional exams and national finals.

In just four years we’ve doubled the numbers of participants in the Chidon, and we keep growing! Stay tuned for exciting updates over the course of the summer and beyond.

For even more frequent Chidon updates check out our new Facebook page HERE

If you’re registering, please remember to submit the accompanying payment via PayPal. As always, please feel free be in touch with comments, suggestions, and questions. I look forward to collaborating with each of you on another impactful year of the Chidon Ha’tanach.

-Rabbi Dovi Nadel

Coordinator of National Bible Contest – Rabbi Dovi Nadel

Jewish Agency 633 Avenue; 21st Floor New York, NY 10017

Email: Dovin@jafi.org

Chidon USA Facebook Page

 

Watch Our National Champions Compete in the Chidon HaTanach International Finals!

For those of you looking to see last year’s National Champions compete at the International level, check out the following link on Yom Ha’Atzmaut right HERE . Three Americans qualified for the International Chidon Ha’Tanach: Jacob Colchamiro, Nathanel Vinar, and Yechiel Shulman. The International competition will take place at 11:00 AM in Israel on Yom Ha’Atzmaut and should be available for viewing at this link throughout the day. Elianna Sokoler will be representing the United States in the International Chidon Ha’Tzfutzot (Diaspora Contest). To watch the the Chidon Ha’Tfutzot at 2:00 PM Israel time, see HERE We wish them the best of luck!