As a part of the Religious Zionists of America’s (RZA) Aryeh Fellowship, six college students—Tehilla Berger, Liat Clark, Yael Eisenberg, Briana Friedman, Binyamin Kaplan and Jennifer van Amerongen—have joined forces to begin the first-ever collegiate Chidon Ha-Tanach, to take place on April 2. The Chidon Ha-Tanach, to be held at RZA Executive Vice President Rabbi Gideon Shloush’s synagogue, Congregation Adereth El in Midtown, will test the knowledge of 10 competitors on perakim in Tanach related to themes of Eretz Yisrael and Shivat Zion. Judging the competition are Bible Professor Smadar Rosensweig; 2013 International High School Chidon Ha-Tanach champion Yishai Eisenberg; Dovi Nadel, coordinator of the US Chidon Ha-Tanach and former Chidon champion; and Yaelle Frohlich, participant and wife of winner Yair Shahak in the International Adult Chidon Ha-Tanach this past December. The winners of the Chidon will receive a combination of cash prize and sefarim.

The RZA Aryeh Fellowship enables its 50 college and graduate school student fellows from around the country to spend their winter breaks in Israel studying Torah at their former yeshivot and midrashot and attending seminars devoted to religious Zionism education. It subsequently asks of its members to create Manhigut (leadership) projects and programming on behalf of the RZA, and to promote their mission of religious Zionism on college campuses and Jewish communities across America. Sarah Robinson, director of the Aryeh Fellowship, explains the mission of the fellowship: “At a time of immense religious and emotional vulnerability in a college student’s life, the return to yeshiva or midrasha is immensely meaningful in cementing their religious convictions and practice. Now returning to America with a renewed passion for Israel, these college students are able to share the light of Eretz Yisrael in the diaspora communities with their projects.” In line with the RZA-Mizrachi’s mission of “Am Yisrael, be-Eretz Yisrael, al pi Torat Yisrael,” the collegiate Chidon Ha-Tanach is a fitting project: “The Tanach, broadly speaking, is the study of Am Yisrael either going to, conquering, living in or desiring to return to the Land of Israel,” says Robinson. “We fully support this project…We are confident that the Chidon will be a tremendous success!”