Pitzuchim (Quiz Show)

Pitzuchim was one of the best-known quiz shows produced by Israel Educational Television. Broadcast from 1985 to 1995, it transformed an international game format into a distinctly Israeli program built around knowledge, language, speed and teamwork. For many young viewers, it made general knowledge, Hebrew expressions, Bible studies and subjects connected with Israeli society part of an engaging television experience.

From an international format to Israeli television

The program was adapted from the American format Blockbusters, which aired in the United States from 1980 to 1982. The format was also sold to Britain’s ITV, where it ran from 1983 to 1993, and was later broadcast by Sky until 1995. Versions of the show were produced in Australia, Sweden and Germany as well.

Israel Educational Television acquired the format and adapted it for Israeli viewers. At the center of the game was a honeycomb-shaped board containing 20 target spaces, arranged five across and four down. Each space carried the first letter of a possible answer. Contestants had to identify the correct word from a knowledge question, creating a contest that demanded both learning and quick reactions.

How the “breakthrough” worked

Two teams competed, usually made up of teenagers. The teams were identified by blue and white; most often, a pair competed on the blue team against a single contestant, generally from a higher grade, on the white team. Once a question was asked, the team that pressed its buzzer first earned the right to answer. A correct answer colored the space in the team’s color, while an incorrect answer passed the question to the opposing team.

If neither side could answer after three questions about the same space, it was colored black. The white team aimed to create a connected line vertically across the board, while the blue team sought a horizontal line. Completing the line was called a “pitzuch,” or breakthrough—the feature that gave the show its name and made the geometry of the board part of the drama.

Knowledge, language and explanation

The first stage consisted of three rounds. The winner of each round was the team that achieved a breakthrough; if time ran out first, the winner was determined by points, with each solved space worth five points. The team that advanced to the second stage had one minute to break through another honeycomb by solving abbreviations of Hebrew expressions.

The show did more than announce whether an answer was right. After each round, language advisers offered clarifications and explanations of selected definitions. Among the advisers were Shmulik Rozen, Yaakov Guetta, Natan Nechamias, Nisan Netzer and Ruth Almog-Ramon. In this way, Pitzuchim combined the excitement of a televised competition with accessible instruction in Hebrew vocabulary, expressions and usage.

At the end of the program, viewers at home were given a puzzle and invited to mail in their answers on postcards. The solution and the winner were announced the following week. Because the programs were recorded in advance at the Educational Television studios in Ramat Aviv, the announcements were delivered by the continuity announcers.

Hosts and cultural memory

The program’s hosts over the years included Shosh Atari, Evari Gilad, Ito Aviram, Anat Dolev, Menachem Perry, Nahum Ido and, in its final season, Orly Vilnai. Each brought a different presence to the screen, while the program retained its combination of pace, humor, knowledge and interaction with young contestants.

One of the show’s most memorable moments was Shosh Atari’s excited cry, “We have a breakthrough,” accompanied by the program’s dramatic music. The phrase became a familiar expression and a shorthand for a moment of success beyond the show itself.

Champions and special competitions

A contestant who won four consecutive programs was declared a champion and invited to the “Champions of Champions” competition, held at the end of each season over three programs. In the summer of 1990, marking the show’s fifth anniversary, a further contest called the “Champion of Champions of Champions” brought together the previous winners of the Champions of Champions competitions.

The title went to Hezki Englander of Bnei Brak. His prizes included an electronic dictionary, a subscription to the Cameri Theatre and a Pitzuchim board game based on the television program, bringing the show’s experience into the home.

Bible, holidays and themed episodes

During the early 1990s, the program produced several “Bible Pitzuchim” episodes. Contestants who had reached early stages of the International Bible Quiz for Youth competed in a version of the game built around biblical questions. The format offered them another way to demonstrate their knowledge while connecting the quiz with a familiar television structure.

Regular broadcasts also devoted many episodes to special subjects, including Jewish holidays, environmental quality and innovations of the Academy of the Hebrew Language. Other programs featured relatives competing in different combinations or included well-known personalities. These choices expanded the show beyond individual competition and made it a popular forum for shared knowledge about Israeli language, culture and society.

After the original program left Israeli television, it became a segment on the program Zombit. In 1996, an Arabic-language version called Masarat was broadcast, extending the game concept to Arabic-speaking viewers in Israel.

Technology, board games and the life beyond the screen

An intriguing detail of the Israeli adaptation concerns the honeycomb board. Moshe Raymond Arbel, the young director assigned to the program, studied the British version and concluded that a computer was the practical way to create a changing honeycomb on screen. At a time when computers were rarely used in television production, he found a programmer willing to develop dedicated software for the production.

In 1995, a home computer game based on the program was released, using the same honeycomb associated with the television show. The Pitzuchim board game likewise carried the format beyond broadcasting. According to the archive material, the British later acquired the Israeli software; this detail still requires an additional source for full verification.

The program’s name also entered literary culture: Amir Hatzroni wrote a novel titled Pitzuchim, after the quiz show.

A return during Educational Television’s anniversary year

In January 2016, it was announced that the show would return as part of celebrations marking the fiftieth anniversary of Israel Educational Television. The new version began airing in March 2016, hosted by Dudu Erez and Michael Hanegbi, with participation by presenters associated with the educational channel across its history. The format included a quiz between former and current actors from the channel, drawing on its past and present programs.

Why this legacy belongs in Moreshet

Pitzuchim merits a place in the archive because it documents an important chapter in Israeli educational broadcasting: a program that made general knowledge, Hebrew, Bible studies and public subjects accessible through play. Its educational influence did not depend on a formal classroom. It worked through curiosity, competition, cooperation and the shared memory of television watched by generations of young Israelis.

Its wider significance lies in its continuity—from an international format to an Israeli adaptation, from the studio to board and computer games, from Hebrew broadcasting to an Arabic version, and from the original series to its return during Educational Television’s anniversary year. For Moreshet, Pitzuchim shows how an Israeli media institution turned learning into popular culture. Moreshet.com preserves the story of the program, its hosts and creators, and the viewers who made it part of their lives.