(Courtesy of AMIT) Dvir Chaim Martzbach, a 12th-grade student from AMIT Florin Taman High School for Boys, Tzfat, was the winner of Israel’s International Chidon HaTanach competition. AMIT is Israel’s premier network of schools, educating 44,000 children each year across 110 schools in 31 cities.

The contest was a huge personal achievement for Martzbach, who had competed several times over the last few years. Known by all his teachers and peers as being a diligent and hardworking student who loves Torah, he received warm congratulations from his school. This was the first win for AMIT since Elhanan Bloch, a student from Yeshivat Amit in Levav Shalem in Yeruham, won in 2012 and Moran Gomri, a student at Ulpanat Amit in Beer Sheva, won in 2003.

“We are so proud of Dvir. His perseverance and personal investment in his educational achievements, which is characteristic of his yeshiva more broadly, is truly impressive and really serves as an example of what every student can achieve with the right educational tools and support that we provide across our AMIT schools. We are thrilled to have him represent us and the city of Tzfat so well at this competition,” said AMIT’s Director General Amnon Eldar.

AMIT Florin Taman High School is in the city of Tzfat, and is a school that welcomes every student who wishes to study in yeshiva, without exception. In recent years, the student body has grown from 170 to about 600 students while bagrut pass rates have also increased from 56% to 90%. The school is founded on the principles of excellence in education, Torah, science, and the values of kindness and charity. This year, the yeshiva students collected food packages for 300 local families in need for their Passover giving project.

Martzbach shared the top slot with a student from a high school in Jerusalem.

Chidon HaTanach is the academically rigorous Torah-scholarship contest for middle and high school students. While various competitions take place all over the globe for the months leading up to Passover, the final runoff occurs annually in Jerusalem on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Day of Independence. This year, following a two-year hiatus in which the finals were held virtually due to the pandemic, the contest once again returned to the Jewish Agency headquarters in Jerusalem. Martzbach, along with his co-champion, succeeded in rising to first place across all categories against 44 other finalists from over 20 countries.

“Dvir’s victory in today’s competition is a testament to AMIT’s unwavering educational commitment and support for every child, regardless of background.” said AMIT President Audrey Axelrod Trachtman. “All of the schools within AMIT’s expanding network are devoted to academic excellence grounded in a framework of Torah, Zionism and inclusivity. Dvir’s victory shows the outcomes that can be possible for any child when the right supports are in place, and we could not be prouder of him.”