PaJeS celebrates 10 years of national Ivrit spelling bee

A national Hebrew spelling competition that has helped hundreds of Jewish primary school pupils strengthen their Ivrit skills is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

PaJeS marked 10 years of its National Primary Ivrit Spelling Bee this week, bringing together finalists from Jewish schools across the UK for the annual competition, run in partnership with UnitEd.

The initiative was launched in 2017 after PaJeS identified an opportunity to raise the profile of Ivrit learning in Jewish primary schools. Working with the organisers of the National Spelling Bee for languages, the organisation developed a Hebrew-language version tailored specifically for Jewish school pupils.

Over the past decade, hundreds of children have taken part, using the competition to build vocabulary, confidence and a stronger connection to Hebrew.

Addressing contestants at this year’s final, PaJeS Primary Ivrit Advisor Dalia Wittenberg said: “This event may seem to be about something small: just letters, just words, one at a time, but in Ivrit, there’s no such thing as ‘just a word’.

“Each word carries history, meaning, and a connection to the culture of Israel and to Judaism. When the contestants step up to spell words, they are doing more than recalling letters; they are engaging with a language that has shaped identity, culture, and community for generations.”

She added: “Today was also about joy, the joy of learning Ivrit, of taking on a challenge, of standing up with courage and of contestants giving it their best.”

This year’s finalists represented Alma, Clore Tikva, Etz Chaim, King David Manchester, Sacks Morasha, Naima and Yavneh.

Roni Itach of Alma won the Ivrit-speaking category, while Olivia Rabinovitch of Clore Tikva won the Year 5 non-Ivrit-speaking category and Jessica Gilbert of King David won the Year 6 non-Ivrit-speaking category.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, organisers also heard from the winner of the first-ever competition, who said taking part had helped improve her Hebrew vocabulary and confidence speaking the language. She later achieved a Grade 9 in GCSE Ivrit and is now studying in Israel.

Sharon Radley, Director of Education at PaJeS, praised the finalists for their commitment and achievement.

“Mazal Tov to all of the participants for reaching the finals and for the dedication, enthusiasm and perseverance they have shown throughout their Ivrit learning journey,” she said.

“To stand on that stage, having learnt and mastered over one hundred Ivrit words and phrases, is a remarkable achievement.”

Radley added that the standard this year had been “exceptionally high”, with contestants demonstrating impressive speed, confidence and accuracy throughout the competition.

The anniversary event celebrated a decade of encouraging Ivrit learning in Jewish schools, with organisers expressing confidence that the next generation of pupils will continue to develop their Hebrew language skills and connection to Jewish life.