As part of their Chanukah celebrations, Moriah’s middle school participated in an extraordinary two-day Maccabiah competition! The four countries this year were: Spain, India, United Kingdom and Bahamas and each team competed nobly. The jam-packed days of activities included an immersion in experiential and game-based learning that incorporated all that Torah U’Maddah stands for: Torah, mathematics, art, music, engineering, science, physics, athletics and so much more. It was inspiring to watch students compete with a sense of Jewish pride, school pride and incredible achdut.
The schedule included fun activities such as Minute to Win It, SuperSports Volleyball, the first ever Video Star competition and gamified classes. Students also participated in Moriah Madness, which is a collection of creative challenges such as: Bracha Bee, Handcuffed Watermelon, Marshmallow Challenge, Water Bottle Flip, Dreidelpalooza, Math Riddles and more. The competition was intense until the closing ceremonies where students presented remarkable chanukiah artwork incorporating their country’s culture, their Video Star creations that portrayed the themes of Chanukah, as well as their country’s culture, in creative fashion and a choir performance from each country singing their national anthem in their native languages! The school recognized the achievements of all its students and gold medal winners who went home with beautiful Moriah medals, but were proud to declare the team of India the winners of this year’s Moriah Olympics!
It has been a labor of love and absolute pleasure to work on this most successful Maccabiah. Moriah could not have done this without the generous support of the Balk family and the Mendel Balk z”l Fellowship for Jewish Life. The Fellowship has provided the opportunity for students to engage in experiential learning, dynamic Talmud Torah and meaningful engagement with their Jewish identity and heritage. We also thank the many members of the faculty who helped run various activities and guided students throughout the competition.
