WEST HARTFORD – Five students from the Hebrew High School of New England (HHNE) in West Hartford took First Place in the 2018 Moot Beit Din Competition sponsored by the Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools. HHNE seniors Dalia Bruce, Esti Garfield and Nesya Sloane, and juniors Fruma Silver, Hadas Bromberg-Seltze won their award in the competition’s Brandeis 3 Division.

Participating students were required to create a written ruling that presented a factual statement about an assigned ethical dilemma, cited and discussed supporting resources, and justified the Beit Din’s ruling. They were also asked to create a video presentation and participate in a peer question-and-answer process with another team in their division, reviewing arguments and posing inquiries.

“It’s always great to work with kids who are excited about learning, and Moot Beit Din presents an opportunity to expose students to a level of analysis seldom accessible to high schoolers,” said HHNE instructor Rabbi David Fried, who guided the HHNE students participating in the competition. “Finishing first in their division is a real testament to how seriously they took this and the amount of effort they put in.”

To watch the HHNE Moot Beit Din, visit HHNE’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hhnect/.