Metro

Well Done!

Akiva students place in international Bible competition.

F

ourteen students from
Yeshivat Akiva in
Southfield participated
in the annual Hidon HaTaNaKh,
an international contest spon-
sored by Israel's Education
Department for 6th-12th-grad-
ers in day and supplementary
schools.
Akiva seventh-graders Dovi
Nadel and Noga Ben Ami placed
second and fourth in the junior
division. Elizabeth Goldmeier
tied for second in the senior divi-
sion, but was awarded third place
in a runoff.
Each year, students who qual-
ify in- U.S. regional exams meet
in New York City. The top student
in each division represents the
United States in the final compe-
tition in Jerusalem.
The 25 Akiva students who
chose to study for the Hidon as
part of a formal elective were
prepared by Rabbi Pinchas -
Amior of Akiva's Judaic studies
staff. Rabbi Amior hails from
Jerusalem and has 25 years of
experience as an educator. He
has written 14 books specifically

designed to instruct students of
the Hidon.
In preparation for the New
York event held May 14, Rabbi
Amior met with the Hidon team
daily for eight months; this
year's curriculum included 97
chapters from Genesis, Samuel
II, Ezekiel and Psalms. He held
a weekend study session at his
home before one of the regional
exams.
"The beauty of the Hidon
TaNaKh is tri-fold," says Akiva's
principal, Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi.
"First and foremost, it gener-
ates a real love for the Bible in
the most natural way possible
— through its study.
"Second, it forges a bond
between the students and the
State of Israel through the careful
study of the sources that docu-
ment our eternal connection to
our land. And finally, the inten-
sity of learning — students pre-
paring for the Hidon may cover
more ground than they normally
would in several years of regular
study — generates a sense of
excitement that is contagious." II

"Torah was commanded to us by Moses, a legacy for the congregation of Jacob." [Deuteronomy, 33:4]
This biblical verse comes near the end of the Five Books of Moses. It has been sung by Jewish toddlers world over. Rashi,
the biblical scholar-, recommended that children learning to speak be taught this verse as their first words.

Back row: Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi of Southfield; Mayer Cohen, 13, of Oak Park; and Jacob Korman, 13, Noam
Greenbaum, 15, Shugmi Shumunov, 15, Justin Kelman, 12, Dovi Nadel, 13, and Rabbi Pinchas Amior,

all of Southfield. Front row: Rebecca Grossman, 14, of Oak Park; Naomi Greenbaum, 13, of Southfield;

Noga Ben Ami, 12, of Southfield; Eryn Fox, 13, of Oak Park; Ariella Schwarcz, 14, of Oak Park; and
Elizabeth Goldmeier, 16, of Southfield. Not pictured: Davidi Lehmann, 16, and Sarah Spitzer, 15, both of

West Bloomfield.

Mosaic With
A Message

Yeshivat Akiva upper school students worked with artist Michelle
Sider to create a monumental mosaic in their school depicting the
Second Temple. Sider, working with students as an artist-in-residence
under the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and funded by
the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, designed the mosaic after two
visits to Israel within the last year.
Just as the Western Wall gave her inspiration, Sider wanted Akiva
students to have a spiritual boost when they looked at the -mosaic of
the Temple.
"This is the power of art:' she told the students at the dedication of
the mosaic. "With art as an appropriate partner, students can make
the material they study come alive with energy, passion and sour

Yeshivat Akiva students who helped create the mosaic are Laura Barnett, 15, of West Bloomfield;
Ariella Schwarcz, 14, of Oak Park; Emma Tegee, 16, of Southfield; Malky Teger, 17, of Oak Park; Cara

Kleiman, 17, of Southfield; and Hallie Platt, 16, of Southfield.

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May 25 • 2006

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- Ken Guten Cohen, story deyelopinent editor