“My daughter came back from New York eager to learn more Torah.”
“Every child should experience this at least once during their Hebrew school years.”
“Our son is not just learning, he’s having fun and he’s integrating what he’s learning into his life.”
From Tucson, Arizona, to Melbourne, Australia, thousands of Hebrew school students from around the world are joining the JewQ International Torah Championship. And it’s changing their lives.
Take the Setless family from Charlotte, North Carolina, where they are regular attendees at Chabad of Charlotte. After their son competed on the JewQ stage in Crown Heights, the family came back inspired.
“The effect has been incorporating more Shabbat in our home. We have stopped sitting in front of the TV to be together for dinner,” Marni says. “It’s something we had done for a while but gotten away from, and this experience brought us back.
“The goal of JewQ is to instill the importance of living Jewish,” says Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Executive Director of Merkos Suite 302, the organization backing the program. “What kids learn now can change the course of their entire lives, and many generations afterward.”
The best part about the JewQ experience? “The kids are so committed,” says Mrs. Chanie Yarmush, Hebrew school director in Wesley Chapel, Florida. “They are coming back to school each week excited to learn more. And the JewQ fever has spread to families too. “It’s not only the students—all the parents are involved too,” she says.
After mastering the core concepts and receiving qualifying marks on three tests, eligible students have the opportunity to compete at the local and national level. Plus, each participating location takes contestants on a highly-anticipated local trip like Six Flags or obstacle courses.
Three top finalists from each location get to join the International CKids Shabbaton in Crown Heights, a four-day program full of meaningful activities and thrilling adventures.
It’s the JewQ Championship of a lifetime, and, as parents told us: “My son is extremely determined about studying. I’d be surprised if my son doesn’t come back again this year.”
