On March 13, Port Washington Chabad Rabbi Berel Paltiel was awarded the 2022 International Jewish Educator of the Year. This is in acknowledgment of his outstanding dedication to the furtherance of Jewish education, and his renowned educational videos that both entertain and educate thousands of children at Chabad Hebrew Schools and Summer Day Camps around the world.

The award was presented at Chabad Central’s Annual JewQ Event in Princeton, N.J., during the JewQ International Torah Championship.

At the annual event, children from all over the world are represented on stage by their top-scoring Hebrew School finalists, who face off in a competitive and fast-paced Torah knowledge game show.

Paltiel’s message upon receiving the award was so special and telling. He spoke of his two childhood dreams of becoming either a Rabbi or a clown, and he got to be both! He eloquently explained that the success of the Chabad approach is to teach Judaism through fun and joy.

“Some people think that if you’re teaching our heritage, you’re teaching our tradition, you’ve got to be boring, blah, black and white, old fashioned…” shared Paltiell during his acceptance speech, “At Chabad, Jewish Education is meaningful, it’s relevant, it’s personal, it’s colorful, it’s exciting, and most of all, it’s fun!”

This explains why so many Jews from all levels of observance and nonobservance alike, are flocking to Chabads everywhere for their children’s Jewish education, where the message isn’t OY, but rather JOY!

To watch the full replay of the JewQ International Torah Championship, including Rabbi Paltiel’s nomination, visit Chabad.org/JewQ.