Posted on 12/15/19
Jerusalem, Israel - Dec. 15, 2019 - Strengthening Jewish identity one daf at a time was the theme of the international event. The Rebecca Crown Auditorium of the Jerusalem Theater was filled to capacity for the first-ever International Talmud Israeli Competition on December 15/ 17 Kislev.
Talmud Israeli is an innovative educational program combining the study of Talmud with Torah, modern Jewish history and Israel, with a goal to support Jewish learning and strengthen Jewish identity. The project includes seven volumes covering the entire Talmud, in daily page order with additions, illustrations, stories, and figures. The volumes are adapted for the joint study of parents, teachers, and children.
Talmud Israeli aims to make complicated Talmudic material accessible, understandable and enjoyable for learners of all ages by explaining one concept from each daf of the Gemara. The program began ten years ago in Israel and quickly earned the support of the Israeli Ministry of Education, which has made Talmud Israeli part of the curricula in hundreds of schools across Israel.
Over the past two years, Talmud Israeli - Daf Yomi For Us, the English branch of Talmud Israeli, has developed and customized material for English-speaking learners around the world.
In June, one thousand participants took a timed quiz on the Talmud they had learned. From the quiz results, 15 teams were selected as finalists. On the Jerusalem stage with the judging panel, which included Miriam Peretz and the IDF Chief Rabbi Eyal Karim, were 12 Israeli and 3 American parent-child teams.
The winners were Yosef and Noam Nissim Shriki from Bet El with 150 out of 150 points. Their grand prize was an extreme-fun day for their whole family.
Three parent-child teams came from the United States, Yardaena and Yonah Glazer, David and Ezra Karnafogel, and Jordan and Eitan Rosenstock. The Rosenstocks qualified for the final cut and won a distinction award.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Education Minister Rav Rafi Peretz spoke. IDF Chazan Shai Abramson and IDF Choir performed several times during the event.
Meir Jakobsohn, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Talmud Israeli, moderated the program which ran over 3 hours and was broadcast live on TV and on Facebook.
The full program was posted on YouTube:
