Whereas a lot of his classmates at his Orthodox highschool in Los Angeles spent the final yr juggling faculty and social life, Jackson Shrier was learning the Tanach, or Hebrew Bible, for 5 hours a day.
He was coaching for the Chidon HaTanach, or Worldwide Bible Quiz, a centerpiece of Israel’s Independence Day festivities that was based by the primary prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, and held yearly for over 60 years.
That dedication paid off final week, when Shrier positioned second within the competitors, keeping off Jewish teenagers from all over the world who equally had prevailed in regional competitions.
Shrier, 15, glided by his Hebrew identify, Akiva, through the competitors and wowed the judges together with his Hebrew proficiency. He was not the one American to position extremely within the contest: Joshua Appelbaum of Washington, D.C., completed in third place, whereas Hadassah Esther Ritch of Highland Park, New Jersey, got here in fourth.
In truth,wWhile the winner of the showdown was Hodaya Cohen, an Israeli Eleventh-grader, this yr marked a banner displaying for the People, their strongest efficiency since 1973.
“While you’re an American, you recognize, normally the highest American is like third or fourth, perhaps fifth, however second place is sort of a particular both approach,” Shrier mentioned. “So after I obtained second place, I used to be simply fairly a bit shocked.”
Shrier, who attends YULA Excessive College in Los Angeles, mentioned that, in contrast to in america, most of the Israeli opponents attend non secular faculties the place preparation for the competition is constructed into the varsity day, generally for as many as 10 to 12 hours.
After first studying concerning the competitors from a camp counselor earlier than coming into sixth grade, Shrier steadily ramped up his research. He escalated his funding much more following his win on the American Nationals final Might.
The extraordinary preparation paid off for Shrier, who mentioned he felt properly ready to reply a spate of questions that included figuring out which of 4 historical Israeli cities “appeared precisely twice within the e-book of Judges” and, within the days of King Ahab, “what was a sinful construct that occurred.” (The solutions: Beersheba and the rebuilding of Jericho.)
Joshua Appelbaum (L), Akiva Shrier (M) and Hadassah Ritch (R) pose earlier than touring to Israel for the Chidon HaTanach. (Courtesy Avigail Ritch)
“I used to be very joyful,” Shrier mentioned of the second he realized he had positioned second, following a lightning-round face-off with Cohen. “It was a bit of surprising for me.”
Through the competitors, all the American contributors spoke in Hebrew, a feat that drew reward from the competitors’s judges and host, the Israeli information anchor Sarah Beck.
“It’s very thrilling to listen to a younger man from America quote pesukim in Hebrew,” mentioned Liron Ben-Moshe, a previous winner who writes the questions for the quiz and sits on its judging panel, utilizing the Hebrew phrase for Bible verses. Ben-Moshe was one in all a number of judges this yr who, along with being steeped in Bible data, misplaced shut household throughout Israel’s latest wars.
“After they see the youngsters quote pesukim in Hebrew, they had been very shocked,” mentioned Ritch’s mom, Avigail. She including that the judges had supplied to provide the scholars a “bonus” for his or her fluency within the language.
For Ritch, who’s an Eleventh-grader at Bruriah Excessive College for Ladies in New Jersey, learning for the competitors had been a worthwhile time dedication.
“I really like studying Tanach and infrequently spend time studying it as a result of I acquire a lot from it,” Ritch mentioned in a textual content message. “Tanach is a core a part of Jewish identification, and learning it brings steering and that means into on a regular basis life. Collaborating in Chidon has modified me eternally and deepened my connection to it.”
This yr, the competitors included 16 contributors from seven international locations outdoors of america and Israel, together with the UK, South Africa, Mexico, Panama and Canada.
“The quiz is way over a data competitors — the Bible is the cultural and ethical identification of the Jewish individuals, a compass that has guided us all through the generations,” Israeli Schooling Minister Yoav Kisch mentioned through the broadcast.
Whereas a number of the worldwide contributors attended the competitors remotely as a result of tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Shrier and his American counterparts all made it to Jerusalem for the competition, which was taped prematurely of Independence Day on Wednesday.
“I wasn’t actually excited about that a lot, simply because I actually wished to come back,” he mentioned concerning the conflict. “I’d been learning for the Chidon a very long time, so, you recognize, for me, simply the primary focus was getting right here.”
For Shrier’s mom, Abigail, a author with roles on the Manhattan Institute and The Free Press, the expertise carried each delight and concern. She joined her son in Israel for the competitors.
“We’re at all times involved that there could be conflict when our youngsters are in Israel,” she mentioned. “However Jack was completely single minded and decided to take part on this to the complete extent, and we watched him actually present dedication that my husband and I’ve by no means seen earlier than.”
Whereas in Jerusalem for the competitors, the scholars are hosted by the Bible Quiz Camp, the place they can research collectively and join with friends who share their intense give attention to Tanakh.
“Each time earlier than this, I’ve been the one particular person to search out myself round Tanakh, and that’s good and all, however there’s not likely lots of people to speak to,” Appelbaum mentioned. “So it’s good having different individuals who have the identical shared curiosity, and in addition simply typically being in Israel is good. It’s good to be within the place that I’ve been learning about.”
For Abigail Shrier, watching her son compete mirrored a second of connection and shared goal for Jewish teenagers all over the world.
“There’s numerous destructive forces proper now performing on the Jewish individuals, however there are additionally numerous constructive issues taking place,” she mentioned. “And this worldwide Jewish competitors, to study as a lot Tanakh as you possibly can, to cheer for one another and research collectively and study as a lot as you possibly can of the Tanakh is, is basically probably the most constructive issues.”
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