Yonatan Meir Tal and Noam Matityahu Meirson of Tekoa’s Achai School (Gush Etzion Regional Council) are the winners of the 2018 KKL-JNF Quiz on Zionism, Man and the Environment. The nationwide final was held in Jerusalem on May 31st. Kiryat Ata’s Sprinzak School came in second, with Yad Binyamin’s Breuer School taking third place.
On Thursday, May 31st,
KKL-JNF’s Education Division held the finals of its Zionism, Man and the Environment Quiz at the Israel Center for Excellence through Education in Jerusalem. The quiz was held in celebration of the
70th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. To mark the event, a special chapter on outstanding Israeli achievements in science, agriculture, the humanities and industry was added to the study material.
Eighteen competitors from nine different schools took part in the nationwide final. The hall was filled with hundreds of students, relatives, teachers, school principals and representatives of the municipal education department, all of whom had come to cheer on the contestants with signs and pompoms. “This is the best present of all – to celebrate an exciting event like this together with the State,”
Liat and Ran Avraham, parents of one of the contestants, told us with shining eyes.
The national finals are the high point that concludes a year of fifth- and sixth-grade Zionism, heritage, historical geography and environmental studies in primary schools throughout Israel. Since the beginning of the year thousands of students countrywide have familiarized themselves with over one hundred concepts related to the history of the State of Israel, including pre-state immigration, the Independence Scroll,
KKL-JNF reservoirs, the Balfour Declaration and the Dreyfus Affair. These studies were presented in ways that made them enjoyable and memorable, through quizzes, films, games (e.g., bingo, treasure hunts) and interactive information on
Green Window, KKL-JNF’s website for young people.
Malka Ilan, who teaches science at Bar Ilan School in Ramla, was accompanying her pupils to the quiz for the sixth time. “Exposing students to experiential learning improves their knowledge of history and heritage and helps them to connect to their Jewish identity and roots,” she explained.
After months of study and preparation the children sat a final exam, and the two students from each school who had received the highest grades were sent to represent their school in the regional heats, which were held in March. The three schools from each region that achieved the highest scores went on to compete in the national finals. These are the contestants who made it all the way to the final round:
Northern Region: Liel Yanshpev and Avner Agmon from Kiryat Ata’s Sprinzak School; Roi David Cohen and Malachi Biton from the State Religious Arbel School in Upper Nazareth; Salman Husan and Said Abu Tarif of Yarka’s HaAmal School.
Central Region: Dana and Nevo Vana from Yad Binyamin’s Breuer School; Eliora Lehrer and Hillel Barzilai from Bar Ilan School in Ramla; Yonatan Meir Tal and Noam Matityahu Meirson from Tekoa’s Achai School.
Southern Region: Hodaya Bodenheimer and Tair Bracha Arini of Kiryat Malachi’s Etzion School; Noam Mogil and Nitai Blumstein from Kibbutz Saad’s Daat School (Sdot HaNegev Regional Council); Uri Avraham and Or Shamila from Gan Yavneh’s Sinai School.
This year, for the first time, the competitors included representatives from Israel’s Druze community. For
Suha Husan, who teaches at Al-Amal School and who is also the mother of contestant Salman, this was a particularly exciting experience: “There is a blood alliance between the Druze community and our Jewish brothers, and it’s important for our children to take part in educational events from an early age,” she said. “The youngsters’ attitude to this material, which does not form part of their curriculum, was one of curiosity and interest. Our presence at the final today is a great victory for us, especially in view of the fact that only two weeks were spent preparing for the regional contest.”
The eighteen finalists experienced two exciting days. The first day began with team-building activities and guided tours of
KKL-JNF forest parks and heritage sites. The youngsters also engaged in iPad navigation in Jerusalem’s Rechavia neighborhood, visited the
KKL-JNF Books of Honor Hall, where the names of the organization’s donors and Friends worldwide are inscribed, and, while they were there, heard about the history of the Blue Box from Liat
Izhak-Herzog. Later they enjoyed team-building activities at the Nes Harim Field and Forest Center, where they also spent the night.
Aharon Bar, Director of Content and Pedagogy in KKL-JNF’s Education Division, explained: “Exposing the students to concepts related to nature, heritage and national pride by means of questionnaires, experiential activities and outdoor excursions presents them with a challenge. These teaching methods help the students to internalize these values, which form part of our identity as Israeli citizens.”
At 10:00 am the contestants arrived at the Israel Center for Excellence in Jerusalem, where they met up with their families and classmates who had come equipped with signs and pompoms to encourage them during the quiz. “We’re crossing our fingers for them and we’ll be cheering them on from the gallery,” their classmates assured us. At the entrance to the auditorium
Roi Cohen and
Malachi Biton from Upper Nazareth’s Arbel School could be observed pacing up and down excitedly. “We decided to take part in the quiz because we regarded it as an intellectual challenge. Our parents were part of the whole process and they helped us study and revise the material,” they said.
Yoni Hezzi, a school principal who had come to support and encourage his students, said that for him this was an especially exciting event. “It’s the first time that the city of Upper Nazareth has taken part in the KKL-JNF quiz,” he explained. “At Arbel School we have secular, traditional and state-religious pupils all studying together under one roof, and so the connection to KKL-JNF comes naturally to us. The two contestants, who have spent a great many hours studying the material – including during the Passover vacation – have become good friends and we have come here today to support and encourage them.”
In the break room we met
Tair Bracha Arini from Etzion School, who was relieving the pre-competition tension by playing the piano, and
Or Shamila of Sinai School, who was using the final moments before the quiz for some last-minute revision. Or Shamila told us: “Recently I’ve been devoting two hours a day to studying, I summarized the material and learned it. My mother, who’s a science teacher, has helped me a lot.”
Her mother,
Sigal, added: “I’m pleased that my daughter has reached this very special moment after having worked so hard – though she did enjoy every minute. She combined study with games, some of which she invented for herself, and they helped her to remember the material.” Uri’s mother
Liat Avraham added: “We told them that the main thing is to enjoy the experience and the whole process. The younger generation has less exposure to history and heritage, and so we’re glad that KKL-JNF has filled this gap.”
This year’s quiz, which was held in the 70th anniversary year of Israel’s founding, focused on Zionism, agriculture, nature, community development and related issues. Scoring was calculated on the basis of three parameters: a written examination held the day before the finals, two open questions, and a quick thirty-second quiz consisting of six brief questions. Some of the questions were presented through amusing skits, films and animated movies. Hebrew language expert Avshalom Kor chaired the quiz and the panel of judges consisted of Aharon Bar, Director of Content and Pedagogy in KKL-JNF’s Education Division; Suhail Zeidan, KKL-JNF’s National Forestry Officer and Director of Orchards, Natural Woodlands and Grazing; and Knesset Member Leah Fadida.
Before the competition began, MK Leah Fadida, who had worked at KKL-JNF for twenty-nine years, welcomed the participants, saying: “Dear students, I’m sure that while you were studying for the quiz you had the opportunity to observe the beauty of our country and be impressed by it. KKL-JNF works hand in hand with the state in the long term, and I shall always feel a part of this Zionist organization.”
KKL-JNF Vice Chairman Shlomo Deri, who also holds the executive’s education portfolio, told those present: “This year’s quiz is especially festive as it marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the State. In recent years KKL-JNF has emphasized education and invested in it very heavily. In this modern era, when information is easily accessible, it’s important to invest in human capital.”
Simon Elbaz, Deputy Director of KKL-JNF's Education Division, declared: “Today KKL-JNF is the leading ecological organization. We have adapted our educational activities to suit the new era, and we place a great deal of emphasis upon experiential learning through computerized applications.”
During the quiz, short films were screened to introduce the contestants and the activities they had engaged in with their classmates prior. During the waiting period while the scores were being tallied prior to the announcement of the winners, Avshalom Kor directed a number of questions at the audience, and those who answered correctly received a hiker’s headlamp as a prize. The event concluded with a performance by singer Sivan Talmor, together with the audience, of Naomi Shemer’s famous song “Jerusalem of Gold.”
In third place: Dana and Nevo Vana from Yad Binyamin’s Breuer School, with 130 points. Their prize was a decorative pin-board for their classroom. “I’m excited,” Nevo enthused. “I’ve worked hard these past few months and I’m very glad that we won.” His parents Meir and Ariel said that they were experiencing “a sense of unbelievable pride. After a long period of investment, we’re seeing the fruits of all that labor.”
In second place: Liel Yanshpev and Avner Agmon from Kiryat Ata’s Sprinzak School, with 131 points. Their prize was a garden table for their school. Said Avner Agmon: “Achieving second place was very exciting and unexpected.” Sprinzak School’s Science Studies Coordinator Sarit Avraham Rosenheimer declared: “Winning is the result of hard work on the part of the school’s educational staff. Recently we’d been devoting eight hours a week to the study of the material through experiential learning: four hours per week to heritage subjects and another four hours to the sciences. Thus, for example, on Jerusalem Day we turned the classroom doors into the gates of the Old City and students took part in interactive smartphone assignments.”
In first place: Yonatan Meir Tal and Noam Matityahu Meirson of Tekoa’s Achai School, with 136 points. Their prize is a class excursion complete with a bus and a guide. Noam Matityahu Meirson said: “During the quiz I realized from the score situation that there was a very good chance of us winning.” Yonatan Tal chimed in: “After we won the regional competition we began to prepare for the quiz together. During the past month we met for two hours every week and challenged each other with questions. My parents and my grandfather also helped me a lot.” What about plans for the future? “To take part in the International Bible Quiz.” David, Jonathan’s father said proudly: “It’s an amazing feeling, it’s like winning the World Cup.”