Translated by Hillel Fendel
Watch the Hebrew interview with English subtitles.
The International Israel Talmud Contest champion was crowned publicly yesterday: Noam Nissim Shriki, 12, of Bet El.
Interestingly enough, his runner-up was none other than Yishai Sarig – his very own classmate from Bet El.
The two, and the other 13 finalists from all around the country as well as the United States, competed as pairs with their fathers; one of the contestants was partner with his mother, and another – with his older brother. One father partnered with his daughter.
The top prize was awarded to Noam and his father Yosef by IDF Chief Rabbi Eyal Krim and Israel Talmud founder Meir Yaakovson. Also in attendance were Education Minister Rafi Peretz and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon.
The Shriki team finished with 50 points, and the runner-up Sarigs – with 49.
Finishing in third place were brothers Amichai and Matan Namir, of Yad Binyamin – grandsons of Dr. Sodi Namir of Gush Katif fame.
The International Quiz of the Israel Talmud was held Sunday night at the Jerusalem Theater. Fifteen student-parent pairs, mostly from Israel, made it to the final round, out of 700 (!) who began the process nearly a year ago.
The Israel Talmud Project, which ran and sponsored the contest, is an educational community program that aspires to transmit tools by which to forge meaningful connections to Jewish tradition and Jewish and Israeli values. It has published seven volumes encompassing the entire Talmud, including additions such as illustrations, stories, a timeline, and more. The volumes are designed for adult-child study, and are supplemented by weekly kits disseminated by email in hundreds of schools around the country.