After a 29-year hiatus, the Annual National Bible Quiz for Adults is once again underway. 2,078 contestants are taking part in the first round in Jerusalem today.
Identical written questionnaires of 60 questions each were distributed to the contestants on Tuesday. The tests are being taken in six regions – north, center, south, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa – as well as in the IDF. The quiz is meant for men and women alike from around the country, from age 18 and up.
Each district, including the IDF, will choose its top 16 or 18 contestants, who will take part in regional Bible contests in October. The quizzes will be held before public audiences.
Two winners from each district will then be chosen, and the 14 finalists will take part in the National Bible Quiz in Jerusalem on the Chanukah holiday in December. It will take place in Binyanei HaUmah (Jerusalem Convention Center), in the presence of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Gideon Saar.
The first Bible Quiz for Adults was held in 1958, in the framework of Israel’s 10th anniversary celebrations. The contest was the talk of the day, broadcast on live radio, and the winner, the nearly-sightless Amos Hakham, became an instant celebrity and icon of Bible proficiency. Hakham then won the International Bible Quiz, held in Jerusalem two weeks later with the participation of non-Jews as well as Jews. When he took the lead in the early stages, the daily Yediot Acharonot newspaper came out with a special second edition, headlined, “Hakham is Winning.” The live spirit behind the contests was Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, a lover of the Bible who held weekly Bible classes in his office.
Renewing the Bible Quiz tradition is meant to encourage public interest and study of the Book of Books as the cultural basis of the Nation of Israel. In addition, it seeks to strengthen national identification and solidarity with the Bible’s values, and to deepen the link between the nation and the Land and Tradition of Israel. Yet another goal is to enrich spoken and written Hebrew with phrases and imagery from the Bible, and to serve as a common education framework for citizens of all sectors in the country.
The renewal of the Bible Quiz tradition is attributed to a joint Netanyahu/Saar initiative. Netanyahu’s son Avner won the National Bible Quiz for Youth this past spring, and finished third in the International Bible Quiz for Youth; three of his maternal uncles have won or nearly won Bible contests in the past.