Registration for the 2023-2024 Season of the Chidon Ha’Tanach is Now Live!

Over the past nine years we’ve more than tripled the number of participants in the Chidon Ha’Tanach, and we keep growing. For a glimpse into the energy and inspiration of our national finals this past year, check out the following brief recap video. It’s worth the two minute watch. 

If you’re looking to hear more about this unique program, look no further than the following newly released videos by students and coaches articulating what the Chidon Ha’Tanach has meant to them:

• Contestant Ariella Fohrman – https://youtu.be/jNMQS223VwA
• Contestant Josh Knoll – https://youtu.be/YH3637RcOXU
• Former Coach Zippi Klein – https://youtu.be/akBHG1cNlHA

To participate, every school/private registrant must register even if they have participated in the past. The link to register for this new season of the Chidon Ha’Tanach is: https://forms.gle/o5tTKPjFjbAW8rJj8

Please make sure to read our cover letter (attached below) for some slight changes to the Chidon for this upcoming year made in consultation with our steering committee.  

If this is the first time that your school/club plans on participating in the Chidon Ha’Tanach please be in touch with me to set up a phone call to discuss any questions you may have. 

Please make sure to register as soon as possible to ensure that you don’t miss out on important chidon communications. The date of the National Finals in New York is set as well. Please mark your calendar with the dates for all of the regional exams as well our National Finals on May 19th 2024.  As always, please be in touch with comments, suggestions, and questions. I look forward to partnering with each of you on another wonderful year of the Chidon Ha’Tanach. 

cover-letter-for-usa-chidon-hatanach-2024-1-1Download

Largest National Finals Ever!

Over 300 national finalists converged at SAR High School this past Sunday for our largest National Finals ever. It truly was a celebratory day! For those who missed it, or those who just want to relive it all, feel free to check out the following links.

• Here’s our recap video with some great pictures from Sunday. Check them out HERE. 
• And if all you want to do is rewatch our jam packed closing ceremonies, the link to rewatch is HERE. 

At the end of the celebratory day, champions were crowned. Attached is a listing of top scorers in each division from around the country from each division. See below!

chidon-hatanach-national-finals-2023-winners-1Download

Four Americans Place in Top 16 – Will Compete in International Competition on Yom Ha’Atmaut

All four of our national contestants have progressed to the next round on the international stage. We wish Tamar Dahan (Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy), Mata Tratt (Yeshiva Frisch), Kayla Schechter (JCDS Boston), and Jack Friedman (Ramaz High School) much success as the compete on Yom Ha’atmaut on national tv.

To watch the competition live or on recording please click on the following link.

It’s Chidon Season!

It’s Chidon season! The Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach national finals will be back at SAR High School this coming Sunday, April 30th. Our largest group of national finalists in decades (325 contestants!) will be converging from around the country. Check out the video below for a glimpse of the special day last year. If you’re interested in more information on the day or interested in volunteering for the day, please be in touch with us at chidonusa@gmail.com.

And of course, don’t forget to cheer on our national champions in Israel this Yom Ha’Atzmaut: Tamar Dahan, Jack Friedman, Maya Tratt, and Kayla Schechter! Much more exciting Chidon news is forthcoming. Stay tuned!

Registration for the 2022- 2023 Season of the Chidon Ha’Tanach is Now Live!

Registration for the 2022-2023 season of the Dr. Shimson Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach  is live! In just eight years we’ve more than tripled the number of participants in the Chidon, and we keep growing. This past May we were back in person for our national finals. Our top contestants converged from around the country in a memorable and celebratory day surrounding the Tanach with more than 800 people in attendance. Get a glimpse into that day HERE.

To participate, every school/private registrant must register even if they have participated in the past. The link to register for this new season of the Chidon Ha’Tanach is: https://forms.gle/6gFHFz54y2XhzteZ6

Please make sure to read our cover letter for significant changes to the Chidon this upcoming year. Our cover letter is linked HERE.

If this is the first time that your school/club plans on participating in the Chidon Ha’Tanach please be in touch with me at Dovin@jafi.org to set up a phone call to discuss any questions you may have. 

Please make sure to register as soon as possible to ensure that you don’t miss out on important upcoming communications. The Chidon Ha’Tanach curriculum will be sent out to all registered and fully paid schools and contestants at the beginning of September.  As always, please be in touch with comments, suggestions, and questions. We look forward to partnering with each of you on another wonderful year of the Chidon Ha’tanach!

Feel free to check out our blog https://chidonusa.wordpress.com/ for important information regarding this upcoming year including the syllabus, test dates, helpful study material and more. Our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChidonUSA/ will be even more active in the year ahead as well.

Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals a Major Success!

Over 250 Chidoners converged in one place – in person! – for the Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals this past Sunday. It was a meaningful and unforgettable event. Congratulations to all of our contestants on making it to this stage (out of over 500 contestants nation wide!). Here’s a glimpse into this unforgettable day.

Chidon Picture Slideshow
https://bit.ly/chidonslideshow2022

Chidon Ha’Tanach 2022 Favorite Pesukim
https://bit.ly/ChidonPesukim22

Dr. Shimshon Isseroff Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals Closing Ceremonies 2022
https://bit.ly/usachidonfinals22

Here’s a list of some of our top scorers.

In the Middle School Hebrew Division.

1 Jack Friedman from Ramaz Middle School (going on to Israel next year!) 2 Ayelet Klein from Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School 3 Micky Cyrulnik from Yeshivat Noam 4 Penina Benjamin from Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School 5 Naftali Norman from Rosenbaum Yeshiva Of North Jersey – RYNJ 6 Sylvia Mitzrahi from Yeshiva of Flatbush

In the Hebrew High School Division

1 Tamar Dahan from Berman Hebrew Academy (going on to Israel next year!) 2 Maya Tratt from ישיבת פריש The Frisch School (going on to Israel next year!) 3 Joshua Knoll from ישיבת פריש The Frisch School 3 Penina Crystal from the Ilan High School 5 Ilan Romm from ישיבת פריש The Frisch School 6 Tamar Rosenfeld from ישיבת פריש The Frisch School 7 Eytan Rosenstock from SAR High School

In the English Division

1 Kayla Schechter from JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School (going on to Israel next year!) 2 Talia Weinstein from Beth Meyer Synagogue 3 Sofia Stambler Beth Meyer Synagogue 4 Gefen Miller Beth Tfiloh Congregation 5 Charlotte Leach Beth Meyer Synagogue

In the Sixth Grade Division

1 Raphael Shrier from Yeshivat Yavneh 2 Akiva Shrier from Yeshivat Yavneh 3 Daniel Friedman from Yavneh Academy 4 Talia Polsky from Emerald City Torah Academy 5 Ziva Goldstein from SAR Academy

Mazal tov to all our participants! Stay tuned for more exciting posts recapping this past Sunday. And, of course, stay tuned for our International Champions who will be representing us in Israel this coming Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Links to watch and pictures from the Bible Camp in Israel are forthcoming too. If you’re looking to get involved in the Chidon, feel free to reach out to us at dovin@jafi.org. Next year’s material starts with Shemot!

American National Champions to Compete on International Stage! American National Finals In Person on May 1st!

The Israeli Ministry of Education and the Jewish Agency are excited to present the Tanach champions, from Israel and the Jewish world, who will represent their communities, in the 59th World Bible Contest – Chidon HaTanach, which will take place on Yom HaAtzmaut (May 5th) in the Jerusalem Theater. It will be broadcasted live on channels 11 & 14 and on the Ministry of Education’s Facebook page.
The 16 winners are:
Rachelly Elichay – Israel🇮🇱
Nava BenQuesus – Canada🇨🇦
Dvir Chaim Merzbach – Israel🇮🇱
Noam Schiff – Belgium🇧🇪
Jake Weinstein – South Africa🇿🇦
Hillel Cohen – Israel🇮🇱
Benjamin Wald – Canada🇨🇦
Elisha Kahan – USA🇺🇸
Miri Garber – UK🇬🇧
Shoham Kotzer – Israel🇮🇱
Marcos Saadia – Mexico🇲🇽
Chana Sussman – South Africa🇿🇦
Avi Flatto-Katz – USA🇺🇸
Hadassa Recht – UK🇬🇧
Yitzchok Spivak – USA🇺🇸
Sharon Amiga – Mexico🇲🇽

And of course, don’t forget to tune to the Diaspora Bible Contest as well. The 12 champions will represent 12 Jewish communities around the world.

If you’re looking to watch these exciting events, check out the following links!

חידון התנ”ך – International Chidon Ha’Tanach – https://youtu.be/Rrkq2ShEQlk

חידון התפוצות – Diaspora Bible Contest – https://youtu.be/rkHIrKQaP7Y

Registration for the 2021-2022 season of the Chidon Ha’Tanach is live!

Registration for the 2021-2022 season of the Dr. Shimson Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach  is live! In just six years we’ve more than tripled the number of participants in the Chidon, and we keep growing! Even with COVID 19, this past May the National Finals was attended virtually by more than 800 people around the country!

To participate, every school/club/private registrant must register even if they have participated in the past. The link to register for this new season of the Chidon Ha’Tanach is: https://forms.gle/K6yKzUsVsVfGqDLR6

Feel free to check out our blog https://chidonusa.wordpress.com/ for important information regarding this upcoming year including the syllabus, test dates, helpful study material and more. Our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChidonUSA/ will be even more active in the year ahead! We will be in touch with all registrants regarding updates connected to COVID 19. 

If this is the first time that your school/club plans on participating in the Chidon Ha’Tanach please be in touch with me at Dovin@jafi.org to set up a phone call to discuss any questions you may have. 

Please make sure to register as soon as possible to ensure that you don’t miss out on important upcoming communications. The Chidon Ha’Tanach curriculum will be sent out to all registered and fully paid schools and contestants at the beginning of September.

The Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals 2021!

Wow! What a day it was. The Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Finals was a meaningful, memorable, and fun day for all involved. Just to qualify as one of the 200 National Finalists is a tremendous accomplishment. The winner of this year’s competition are listed below. Mazal Tov! If you missed it, a link to the closing ceremonies is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEzzd4w3bjs&t=142s…

Hebrew High School

1 -Elisha Kahan of Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School(going on to Israel!)

2 – Yitzchak Spivak of Yeshivat Ohr Reuven(going on to Israel!)

3 – Adi Hacker of Manhattan High School for Girls

4 – Adielle Rosenblum of Manhattan High School for Girls

5 – Ariella Fohrman of @Shulamith High School

Hebrew 8th Grade

1 – Avi Flatto Katz of Ramaz Middle School (going on to Israel!)

2 – Ayelet Poupko of Ben Porat Yosef

3 – Ariel Eizenberg of Flatbush yeshiva

4 – Eytan Rosenstock of Westchester Day School

5 – Gabriel Cohen of Yeshivat Noam

English High School Division

1- Yisroel Kaplowitz of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School (going on to Israel!)

2 – Jeremy Shindel of Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School

3 – Edenn Richman of Donna Klein Jewish Academy

Hebrew 6-7 Division

1 – Micky Cyrulnik of Yeshivat Noam

2 – Salmon Dayan of Yeshivat Flatbush

3 – Eli Friedman of Yavneh Academy

English 6-7

1 – Kayla Schechter of JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School

2 – Devorah Benus of Beth Tfiloh

3 – Evan Weinstein of Beth Meyer Synagogue

Congrats again to all our contestants. See you IN PERSON next year! Stay tuned over the summer for exciting Chidon updates. The new chomer (material) will be posted later this month. If you’re looking to get a head start, we’re back to Breishit for next year.

Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach National Final 2021

Today’s the days hundreds of Chidon students have been waiting for. See the attached schedule for a listing of the day’s exciting events. Feel free to send us an email at chidonusa@gmail.com for zoom links for all the days activities and ceremonies. Schedule is attached and link to video is below!

chidon-hatanach-2021-official-schedule-for-online-1Download