All parents think their children are talented. But could they put them to the test?
They can, actually, as part of “Jewish Kids Got Talent,” a competition for youngsters worldwide that salutes the best in performing arts, intellectual skills and acts of kindness.
“The Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory] always speaks about the power of Jewish children, and ‘Jewish Kids Got Talent’ gives boys and girls from all walks of Jewish life this much-needed opportunity to display their talent and share their G‑dly gifts in a variety of different ways,” says filmmaker Daniel Finkelman, one of the show’s producers. (Danny Keizler is the show’s second producer.)
Now in its fourth year, the talent show/competition is a joint project of Tzivos Hashem–Jewish Children International, Chabad centers worldwide and Chabad.org. It is open to children between the ages of 5 and 14, and offers three areas of competition: the “Heart” (chesed, acts of loving kindness), the “Hand” (performing arts and writing) and the “Head” (intellectual achievements like memorization or research).
“It’s not just a mere singing contest like American Idol or America’s Got Talent,” explains Finkleman. Rather, it asks “What good does your talent do? That’s why we have this other category [chesed]; it’s the heart, hand and head coming together.”
Entries are being accepted until Nov. 12, at which time a committee will cull through the submissions and pick 30 semifinalists—10 in each of the three competition categories. Those entries will be posted on the contest website (JewishKidsGotTalent.com) a few days later, and the public will get to vote for their favorites. Voting will close at the end of November.
The top three vote-getters in each category will receive two round-trip tickets to New York City, where they will display their talent at the annual Tzivos Hashem dinner, to be held this year on Saturday night, Dec. 9. Guests will vote for their overall favorite talented kid. The grand-prize winner will receive an individual cash prize, as well as one for an organization or school of the child's choosing.
Finkelman notes that the number of entries in the “Heart” category has risen significantly. “People are really into it. It’s easier for kids who don’t shine in other areas to prove themselves in this category because [they can say] even if I don’t have a talent in voice or art, let me show my talent in being a good person and helping others.”
What would qualify as a chesed entry? The options are as varied as the kids themselves. Finkelman recalls a finalist from a previous year, a 12-year-old Israeli boy who was living in a children’s home. The youngster was overweight, suffering from diabetes, and yet he couldn’t stop eating. So, as he said in his submission video, he decided to do a chesed for himself by losing weight and learning to eat moderately. When the youngster came onto the stage during the awards dinner, “he was half the size he was in the video,” attests Finkelman. “People were in tears.”
Identifying a World of Talent
Then there’s the girl from New York City who makes kosher care packages for Jewish members of the U.S. military because she wants them to “remember home and remember Shabbos.”
The “Hand” and “Head” categories are also open to interpretation. For instance, one boy who entered the contest memorized the entire Tanya, the seminal work of Chabad philosophy, while a girl from Ukraine wrote an essay in English about how proud she is to be Jewish, despite living in a country not conducive to her spirituality. Other contestants showed off their table-tennis skills, flair for photography and even how fast they could solve a Rubik’s Cube. Boys and girls can enter any talent in any category except singing, which is only open to boys.
Among the participants in this year’s contest is 12-year-old Anna Lagunova of New York, who wrote a two-page essay about what it’s like growing up as a Jewish kid today.
“My parents are really proud that I did it,” she says. Also supportive are the preteen’s friends, who read the contest entry and told her “it was really good.”
Finkelman insists that “everybody has a talent,” and sharing that skill “inspires other kids around the world to use their talents for the greater good.”
To learn more about the competition, visit JewishKidsGotTalent.com.
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