International JewQ Competition Coming to Long Island

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On February 2, 16 Hebrew schools from all over Long Island will gather to showcase their Jewish knowledge.

“Hashem created the world. Hashem has no body or shape. Hashem is one,” says Max Kyalakov a 6th grader at Half Hallows Hills school in Dix Hills. He shared these answers onstage at last year’s international JewQ championship, representing his school among 79 others.

“That’s three,” announces the judge, as Max goes on to rattle off the rest of Maimonides 13 principles of faith.

In just a few weeks, 64 students from 16 Hebrew schools across Long Island will represent their grades in a live competition event. These students have scored the highest on 3 tests taken over the past 3 months; they have earned their time in the limelight. Says Max about last year, “I studied up until the last minute.”

Kids learn material from their JewQ textbooks, which were written and designed especially for the championship. Called Living Jewish, the books cover all the basic fundamentals of Jewish practice.

Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum, director of The Chai Center Hebrew School in Dix Hills, is happy with the results. “Our kids have mastered the Jewish months of the year, Jewish leaders, and the details of keeping Shabbat and kosher.” They’re gaining information that wouldn’t otherwise be covered in a busy Hebrew school curriculum—and they’re excited about it. “I was shocked by how much my child had absorbed from his book,” one parent told Weinbuam.

The Long Island competition is just one in a series of regional events taking place before the international Shabbaton and competition this March. The unforgettable weekend experience in Crown Heights, New York, brings parents and kids together for thrilling adventures and meaningful Jewish experiences.

The promise of an international Shabbaton gets kids motivated to learn, along with other incentives provided by each region. In Long Island, any student who scored above a 70% average on all 3 tests gets to join a SkyZone trip immediately following Sunday’s competition.

But the biggest motivation for kids is the knowledge gained. “Even if I don’t win, it’s still awesome that I tried,” says Gabby Reisner, a fourth grader at Chai Center Hebrew school.

On February 2, 16 Hebrew schools from all over Long Island will gather to showcase their Jewish knowledge

“Hashem created the world. Hashem has no body or shape. Hashem is one,” says Max Kyalakov a 6th grader at Half Hallows Hills school in Dix Hills. He shared these answers onstage at last year’s international JewQ championship, representing his school among XX others.

“That’s three,” announces the judge, as Max goes on to rattle off the rest of Maimonides 13 principles of faith.

In just a few weeks, 64 students from 16 Hebrew schools across Long Island will represent their grades in a live game show event. These students have scored the highest on 3 tests taken over the past 3 months; they have earned their time in the limelight. Says Max about last year, “I studied up until the last minute.”

Kids learn material from their JewQ textbooks, which were written and designed especially for the championship. Called Living Jewish, the books cover all the basic fundamentals of Jewish practice.

Rabbi Dovid Weinbaum, director of The Chai Center Hebrew School in Dix Hills, is happy with the results. “Our kids have mastered the Jewish months of the year, Jewish leaders, and the details of keeping Shabbat and kosher.” They’re gaining information that wouldn’t otherwise be covered in a busy Hebrew school curriculum—and they’re excited about it. “I was shocked by how much my child had absorbed from his book,” one parent told Weinbuam.

The Long Island competition is just one in a series of regional events taking place before the international Shabbaton and competition this March. The unforgettable weekend experience in Crown Heights, New York, brings parents and kids together for thrilling adventures and meaningful Jewish experiences.

The promise of an international Shabbaton gets kids motivated to learn, along with other incentives provided by each region. In Long Island, any student who scored above a 70% average on all 3 tests gets to join a SkyZone trip immediately following Sunday’s competition.

But the biggest motivation for kids is the knowledge gained. “Even if I don’t win, it’s still awesome that I tried,” says Gabby Reisner, a fourth grader at Chai Center Hebrew school.