Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 27, 2019

Dr. Jordan Rosenstock and son, Eytan, of White Plains, after being crowned the parent-child Diaspora Winners.

Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, WDS head of school, with winner Eytan Rosenstock and his younger siblings, Ilan and Talia.

On Sunday morning, December 15, the Jerusalem Theater reverberated with the exciting sounds of Torah as it hosted the Premier Chidon Olami, the worldwide contest of Talmud Israeli (TI).

The gathering included family and friends of the 15 finalist duos as well as hundreds of excited classmates, educators and TI followers. The contestants who made it to the climactic finals were parents and children who had prepared for the worldwide chidon for years. Of the 15, three pairs were from the New York area and two had Teaneck connections.

Opening the event was an uplifting rendition of Am Yisrael Chai performed by the IDF Chief Chazzan Shai Abramson and his troupe. Rabbi Avi Rath, educational director and editor of Talmud Olami, served as master of ceremonies. Rabbi Rath encapsulated the mission of Talmud Israeli as bringing togetherness to Am Yisrael, Yachad lev blev, as well as Yachad horim vyeladim, togetherness with parents and their children.

Talmud Israeli originated over a decade ago as a program to bring together individuals, parents and children, schools and synagogues in the study of Jewish wisdom through Halacha, Aggadah, thought, and midrash from the 1,000-year-old Talmud. Its seven volumes, individual masechtot and sugiyot books, weekly publications and video clips are all available in English and Hebrew. The myriad of materials provide sources of learning Talmud with Torah, modern Jewish history and Israel.

In Israel, Talmud Israeli is implemented in more than 200 schools in over 100 communities across the nation. The weekly publication in

Hebrew includes the daf for each day of the week and Israeli and Zionist ideas and values, including important characters and events. It serves as enrichment for Jewish studies and as a means to connect to the entire community in Israel. To date in the U.S., Talmud Israeli is used in Jewish day schools including HALB, HAFTR, SAR, JEC, Ramaz, Westchester Day School and Yavneh Academy. The materials are gaining popularity across the globe and are studied worldwide in countries including Canada, Germany, Turkey and China.

The 15 finalist parent-child contestants consisted of fathers and mothers with sons and daughters from across Israel, including Petach Tikvah, Beit El, Mitzpeh Rimon, Beit El, Lod and Yad Binyamin. The parentsdoctors, lawyers, engineers and educatorsset time aside to study Torah with their children, who ranged in age from 9 years old to pre-bnei mitzvah.

Three of the parent-child teams were from the local area. Dr. Jordan Rosenstock, a nephrologist, and his son Eytan hail from White Plains. Eytan, who will become a bar mitzvah this week, is an eighth grader at Westchester Day School, his fathers alma mater. Eytan is one of four children. Brother Yonah is a freshman at Yeshivat Frisch, and two younger siblings, Ilan and Talia, are fifth and fourth graders at Westchester Day School. In addition to his love of learning Torah at school and with his father, Eytan loves to read and is an avid floor hockey player. For his upcoming bar mitzvah, in addition to leining Parshat Miketz and the Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh leining on Shabbat at the Hebrew Institute of White Plains, Eytan will be davening Shacharit including Hallel. At the Sunday celebration, Eytan will be delivering a siyum on Masechet Rosh Hashanah that he learned with his father. Inspired by receiving the top Diaspora Award at the Talmud Israeli Chidon, Eitan is looking forward to participating in the upcoming Chidon HaTanach.

Jordana Osband Glazer and her son, Jonah, reside in Riverdale. Osband Glazer is a pediatrician who lectures widely on Torah topics; Jonah is a seventh grader at SAR. In addition to learning Torah with his mother, he plays soccer, studies guitar and bakes weekly Shabbat challahs. Jonahs father, David Glazer, an instructor at SAR, is the musical director at Camp Moshava.

Prior to the concluding rounds of questions, the contestants responded to a rigorous and lengthy written exam for which they were awarded points that were added to those accrued in the final oral contest. The illustrious panel of judges consisted of Rav Bar Levi of Israels Department of Education; Rav Doron Peretz, director of World Mizrachi; IDF Chief Rabbi Eyal Krin; Chidon Tanach Grand Champion Pinchas Neria; Tzilit Jacobsohn, head of the Bat Melech organization; Miriam Peretz, recipient of Pras Yisrael; and Shosh Nagar, head of the Chemed Educational Network. President Reuven Rivlin posed the last question of the chidon.

Mayor Moshe Leon of Jerusalem, who himself sets aside time for Torah learning, addressed the program, praising the choice of Jerusalem for the premier chidon as the city that unites and promotes togetherness. Talmud Israeli founder and editor-in-chief Meir Jacobsohn, who also serves as the CEO of Medison Pharmaceuticals, which supports the project, shared a passionate introductory message. Quoting the heroic world-renowned educator Janusz Korczak, who perished escorting his students to their deaths during the Holocaust, he said, He who is concerned about days will plant wheat. He who is concerned about years will plant trees. But he who is concerned about the generations of the future will educate children.

Top winners of the premier Chidon Tanach Israeli were Beit El residents Yosef Shriki and his son Nissim Noam. A special tribute was paid to Diaspora winners Dr. Jordan and Eytan Rosenstock and a thunderous mazal tov was wished to Eytan upon his upcoming bar mitzvah celebration.

According to Yael Schulman, director of Talmud Israeli Daf Yomi for Us, the 13th cycle of Daf Yomi is coming to a close with a mega siyum on January 5, after which the 14th cycle will immediately begin. To receive the weekly materials for the 14th cycle, visit http://www.talmudisraeli.org or contact Yael Schulman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (914)413-3128.

By Pearl Markovitz

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White Plains Father-Son Duo Wins Top Honors at Talmud Israeli Chinuch Olami - Jewish Link of Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut

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