Fifty five contestants from seven Jewish primary schools across the UK took part in a Hebrew spelling bee competition on Tuesday.
The annual contest, organised by Jewish schools network PaJeS (Partnership of Jewish Schools) tasks contestants with translating from English to Ivrit and spelling in Ivrit as many words as they can in one minute.
Taking part were students from Alma, Eden, Etz Chaim, Kerem, Sacks Morasha, Naima, and Nancy Reuben primary schools.
The spelling bee programme also includes a dedicated pathway for Hebrew speaking students, which this year included Israeli children who sought refuge in the UK as a result of the war in Israel.
The competition is held in partnership with Routes into Languages East and The Betty Gruss Charitable Trust. It helps Year 5 and 6 students in Jewish primary schools consolidate their Ivrit by practicing and improving their vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, and memory skills. The competition also enables students to become more confident Ivrit learners and connect to Israel.
The Year 5 winners of the non-Ivrit speakers category were Tamara Aaron (Sacks Morasha), Leah Dhoosche (Nancy Reuben), Lilia Sherr (Nancy Reuben) and Sara Freudenthal (Nancy Reuben).
The Year 6 winners of the non-Ivrit speakers category were Micah Gershon (Sacks Morasha), Ava Falk (Nancy Reuben), Toby Jesner (Sacks Morasha) and Salomé Mizrahi (Kerem).
The winners of the Ivrit speakers category were Hannah Mantzur (Kerem), Shachar Avishai (Kerem), Ofri Avishai (Kerem) and Avigail McWhir (Nancy Reuben).
Dalia Wittenberg, primary Ivrit advisor at PaJeS, said: “High motivation is a key factor in successful learning, and the PaJeS Spelling Bee competition has shown that competing motivates and inspires students to learn and excel. We are very proud of the contestants and their Ivrit teachers, who have shown commitment, dedication, and determination. Kol Hakavod!”
