NATIONAL BIBLE CONTEST 2009 תשס'ט



NATIONAL BIBLE CONTEST 2015 תשע"ה

Dear Educators, Teachers, and Principals:

Enclosed please find a registration link and syllabus for the U.S. National Bible Contest (Chidon Hatanach) for the 2014-2015 academic year (5775).

Goals:

As Jews, we must learn and study the Bible, the Jewish People’s richest resource. The Bible is the basis of our existence as a People. It includes our right to the Land of Israel, it connects us to our past and in it are our hopes for the future. The Bible has laid down the cultural groundwork for the whole of the Jewish people, with all of its diversities, divisions and communities. The study of the Bible increases our student’s identity with the Jewish People and their love of the Land of Israel. What better way to encourage students to study and learn the Bible than by involving them in a National Bible competition? And like the Tanach itself, the Bible Contest unites young Jews from all over the world, connecting them with Judaism’s longest-lasting contribution to the world.

Divisions:

Students in the U.S. competitions may participate in one of three divisions:

1) Hebrew Grades 6-8

2) Hebrew Grades 9-11

3) English Grades 6-11

The Hebrew divisions are open to students in Jewish day schools, while the English division is open to students in supplementary schools and those in no formal Jewish educational institution. Community Day Schools with minimal textual study of Judaic texts in the original Hebrew may also apply for special permission to participate in the English Division.

All questions in English are based on the NJPS translation – Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985.

Regional Bible Contest:

Each participating school is assigned to a geographic region, with 1-3 other schools. Each year, a champion is crowned for each region. That champion, along with other students who scored in the highest score range in the regional contest, advance to the national finals. Students who are crowned regional champion or have placed in the highest score group in their division are notified in late-March or early April.

Traditionally, the regional championship has been based purely on the results of the three written tests composed by the Chidon Hatanach staff. If a region wishes to conduct a public championship ceremony, it should notify me in order to discuss the nature of its championship ceremony.

National Bible Contest:

The United States National Chidon Hatanach (Bible Contest) has been running for over half a century. Students from many different schools and communities around the United States study throughout the year and national finalists advance to the United States National Chidon, an event held once a year in New York in May. Several top finishers in each division are announced as "national champions" for the United States, and receive prizes for their achievement. In 2014, over 130 students traveled to New York City to compete in the US National Bible Contest.

The United States Chidon Hatanach is coordinated by the Jewish Agency for Israel. The Jewish Agency also assists students and participating schools prepare for the Bible Contest in New York and Israel by posting sample tests for the Bible Contests online. Feel free to contact us with any questions!

International Bible Contest

First-place winners in each division of the national competition are the U.S. representatives to the International Bible Contest in Israel, along with the top performer among the second-place winners. The International Bible Contest brings together the national winners from the Diaspora and Israel for a two week all-expenses-paid Tanach Camp, during which they tour the country and meet with important government officials. The competition itself is attended by the Prime Minister of Israel and is broadcast on Israeli television on Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.

2015 Schedule at a Glance:

1. The English Regional Examination is tentatively scheduled for Sunday 3/1/14 and will cover Exodus (1-24), I Samuel (1-24), Esther, Jonah

2. The Hebrew Regional Examinations will be:

Test 1 – Monday 12/8/14 – Shemot 1-24

Test 2 – Monday 2/2/15 - Shmuel Alef 1-24

Test 3 – Monday 3/2/15 – Esther & Yonah High Schools only: Yoel, Amos, Ovadiah, Haggai, Malachi

3. The National Finals in both languages will take place in New York, sometime in May 2015, and will cover the entire syllabus (i.e. all of the above material PLUS Shemot 32-34 and the rest of Shmuel Alef).

Fees:

There is no cost for schools or students to participate in the program, but students who qualify for the national finals are responsible for their travel to New York. Schools who register after the deadline may be assessed a $25 late processing fee. Certificates of merit are also available upon request, free of charge.

Eligibility:

In order to be eligible for the National Finals, students must take all stages of their regional examinations, and score above that year’s cutoff for students in their division.

[There is not sufficient time between parts of the examination to begin preparation for the next examination only after the previous examination has been taken. Therefore, we advise teachers preparing students in the Hebrew Divisions to consider all the material in planning their schedules, and NOT to prepare students for each examination separately.]

As a general rule, in order to be eligible for the International Contest, students must meet the following criteria:

1) must NOT BE THE CHILD OF AN ISRAELI GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE OR ISRAELI SHALIACH

2) MUST HAVE RECEIVED MOST OF HIS OR HER EDUCATION IN THE DIASPORA

3) MUST BE A STUDENT IN AN ELEMENTARY OR HIGH SCHOOL AT THE TIME OF THE COMPETITION IN ISRAEL (APRIL, 2015)

4) MUST NOT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE CONTEST IN ANY PREVIOUS YEAR.

PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING A STUDENT'S ELIGIBILITY. DO NOT SIMPLY ASSUME THAT THE STUDENT WON'T BE ELIGIBLE.

At the end of this message, please find the Syllabus for US National Bible Contest 2015.

REGISTRATION:

In order to register, please use the online form at



You can show your students the registration video:

Please register by October 31st, 2014.

[Because information is likely to change from year to year, schools must compete a new registration form each year in order to receive Chidon materials.]

For more information please feel free to contact:

Rabbi Ezra Frazer

US National Bible Contest Coordinator

Phone: (212) 339-6042 (Fridays)

Fax: (212) 339-6042 (anytime)

Email: ezrafr@

Thanks and Good Luck!

בברכות התורה,

EZRA FRAZER

Syllabus for US National Bible Contest 2015תשע"ה

Hebrew Division Grades 6-8

ספר שמות

פרקים א'-כ"ד, ל"ב-ל"ד

פירושי רש"י לספר שמות: א:א, ב:יג-יד, ד:ג, ו:א, ז:יט (רק ד"ה אמור אל אהרן), יב:א, יד:כ, טו:כב, יז:ט, יח:ט, יט:ב

ספר שמואל א'

הכל

ספר יונה

הכל

מגילת אסתר

הכל

Hebrew Division Grades 9-11

ספר שמות

פרקים א'-כ"ד, ל"ב-ל"ד

ספר שמואל א'

הכל

תרי עשר

ספרי יואל, עמוס, עובדיה, יונה, חגי, מלאכי

מגילת אסתר

הכל

English Division Grades 6-11*

Shemot/Exodus

Chapters 1-24, 32-34

Shmuel Alef/I Samuel

All

Yonah/Jonah

All

Esther

All

*As of 2013-2014, there is one English Division for grades 6-11.

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National Bible Contest

National Bible Quiz

National Bible Contest

National Bible Quiz

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