Hebrew-School Students From 26 Nations Compete in Torah Contest

Omri Howes spent this past weekend making friends with Jewish students from around the world. The 11-year-old from Falmouth, Maine, traveled with his parents to Stamford, Conn., to take part in the fifth annual JewQ International Jewish Knowledge Championship, which gave more than 300 Hebrew-school students from 26 countries in grades three through seven the chance to showcase their Jewish knowledge.

They competed trivia-show style in front of a crowd of 800, with thousands more tuning in online to see the students apply the learning they’ve done this past year. Some 3,500 children from 235 schools took part in the JewQ study program, which enhances and gamifies the Hebrew school experience. JewQ is a project of CKids, the Chabad Children’s Network.

Being together with so many Jewish peers was a first for Howes, who attends public school and is part of a small but tight-knit Jewish community in Maine. “Everyone [at the event] was Jewish; everyone there was my religion,” he said.

“I’m more proud after this weekend because I studied really hard, I practiced, and now I know more about the holidays—even the tiny holidays I didn’t really know about before,” he added.

His team had just one minute in total to match velcro pictures of holiday items to their months—a topic he’s been learning about all year. “I was a little nervous, but then it was exciting,” he recounted. “You had to do it really fast because there’s only 60 seconds, and there were a lot of people.”

Throughout the year, some 3,500 children from 235 schools took part in the JewQ study program, which enhances the Hebrew-school experience

Photo by Rosie Rimler/Merkos 302

Participants from Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Ecuador, France, India, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States raced each other and the clock in the three-segment live competition, which offered more complicated questions to older students and challenges from special guests such as Israel’s chief Rabbi David Lau, who participated remotely. Participants also took a field trip to the Ohel in Queens, N.Y.— the resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory— and visited Chelsea Piers in New York City.

Howes participates in a home Hebrew school in his dining room, said his mother, Rebecca Howes. “He loves it! He loves doing the JewQ curriculum and the part where there’s video games to test your knowledge.”

He took the three tests required to qualify for the championships and was invited after scoring high on them. At the event, he took a fourth test and came home with a gold medal as well as a trophy. “I think it just gave him a lot of confidence to know he had learned so much this year,” she said. “And it’s a great opportunity to go and meet other Jewish kids his age and have this experience.”

Next year, she added, he wants to return—and take her with.

Aaron Eggerstorfer, center, was on the road for eight hours with his parents to take part in the weekend events.

Photo by Mark Eggerstorfer

Aaron Eggerstorfer, 8, was on the road for eight hours with his parents, Heather and Mark Eggerstorfer, to take part in the weekend events. His family was one of 10 from Potomac, Md., who made the trek to compete. Onstage for one round of questions, he fielded questions alongside peers from Australia, Argentina and beyond. “That was something pretty new, meeting kids from around the world,” he says. “It gives me faith because they’re not just in one place; they’re all around the world doing mitzvot.”

Eggerstorfer, who attends Hebrew school weekly at Chabad of Potomac, eagerly made plans to show off his nametag, his medal and light-up bracelets from the event when he got back to school. “I’m going to tell them all about it,” he said. “Where I spent Shabbat, the fact that we went to the Ohel, went to a hotel, went to Chelsea Piers.”

At Chelsea Piers in New York City

Photo by Mark Eggerstorfer

This kind of immersive Jewish experience was a first for him, noted his mom. “It’s not something we do, so going to the Shabbaton was his first time getting to do all the prayers, and say everything he’s been practicing and studying,” she said. “So it was really nice for him to get to be there. He was singing them the whole way home.”

Aaron had asked to go to Hebrew school, and it had turned out to be a wonderful experience, said Heather Eggerstorfer. “We hope he comes away with an appreciation for his religion and his spirituality, and knowing there are people all over the world that share the same prayers, the same thoughts, the same views, the same good.”

Mark Eggerstorfer said he felt very welcome at the weekend, which also featured a parents’ track with a workshop, roundtable discussions and classes. “I’m very happy to see my son being respected, and learning and growing in his faith,” he said.

Participants study in their local communities and use the event to make new friends from around the world.

‘The Whole Thing Was Really Active and Vibrant’

Linda Abramov, of Western Chapel, Fla., returned to the event for her family’s second year with her husband, Hillel, and their two children, who attend their area’s Chabad Hebrew School. Her daughter, Aria Chana, was on stage, and her son, Samuel, took the weekend’s knowledge test. “Last year I went, and it was fun,” said Samuel Abramov, adding that this year certainly didn’t disappoint. “I liked Shabbat and the activities.”

The kids love the way they learn the material and the idea of the trip to test their skills, said Linda Abramov. “They were surrounded by fun and Judaism, and they felt at home. They made some great connections; they had a great time, learned some great songs. That’s a lot in three days.”

Aria Chana Abramov couldn’t wait to come back for the weekend to see her friends and make new ones. She competed this year on stage on the Jewish life cycle, among other topics. “You’re in the zone and you get used to it, and it’s really fun,” she said.

The students competed trivia-show style in front of a crowd of 800 people.

Photo by Rosie Rimler/Merkos 302

She added that her favorite parts of the weekend were Shabbat and the JewQ game show. “Shabbat was everyone doing stuff together—a bunch of Jewish kids together, doing things without electronics,” she said. “And the game show was really fun because everyone got a turn to speak. The whole thing was really active, and wow, and vibrant. It was a great experience.”

Returning home, she said she plans to start giving tzedakah every day and to continue to grow in her learning. “I studied the book really well, and I knew more stuff than I needed to,” she pointed out. “I was really proud of the gold medal I got.”

Raizel Rosenfeld, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Portugal, took two 13-year-old students to participate in the event. Area champions, they represented their country well and had a great time, she said. “It was an experience—they had never had anything like that in Portugal—an immersive Jewish experience. They got to meet new kids from all over the world. They were proud to be in the championship and have that knowledge.”

At the awards ceremony, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch and chairman of CKids, congratulated all the students on their efforts, and urged them to make a difference in the world one mitzvah at a time. “Your dedication and hard work have paid off, and we couldn’t be more proud of you,” he told the student participants assembled. “Let’s keep the momentum going, and continue to spread the light of Torah wherever we go.”

Photo by Rosie Rimler/Merkos 302