The four finalists in the National Bible Contest for high school students, conducted this week in the northern city of Or Akiva, will participate in the International Bible Contest on Independence Day (May 7). Together with high school Bible experts from all over the world, they will participate in a "Bible camp" in Israel for two weeks before the big contest, in which they will tour the land and study together.
One of the four Israelis is Alex Yaakobov, who immigrated to Israel from Buchara in the former Soviet Union at the age of five. Unlike the other three, he is enrolled in a non-religious school - ORT in Jerusalem - where he studies computers and chairs the Student Council Events Committee. "As a boy," Alex explained to Arutz-7 today, "I studied in a religious school, and when I left, I wanted to keep up my connection with religion and with the Bible, and so I continued learning it in my free time - and I learned a lot." He said that participants from non-religious schools have a distinct disadvantage: "[Some of] the contestants from religious schools get time off to study, and help from the teachers - while in my school I learned it all myself… And of course they have more hours of Bible study." He made it clear that his school and his friends are very encouraging and proud of his achievement.
Some 275 schools, only half of them religious, took part in the various stages of the National Bible Contest. What effect does Bible study have on his non-religious fellow contestants, Alex was asked. "First of all," he replied, "when we are together, they are very considerate of the others, even in observing the Sabbath to some extent when we were together... I would say that their study of the Bible has an effect on them in a religious sense."
Regarding the future, Alex said that, among his other plans, he will definitely continue to study Bible after the contest: "To be a Bible teacher could be very enjoyable - we'll see; anything can happen."
One of the four Israelis is Alex Yaakobov, who immigrated to Israel from Buchara in the former Soviet Union at the age of five. Unlike the other three, he is enrolled in a non-religious school - ORT in Jerusalem - where he studies computers and chairs the Student Council Events Committee. "As a boy," Alex explained to Arutz-7 today, "I studied in a religious school, and when I left, I wanted to keep up my connection with religion and with the Bible, and so I continued learning it in my free time - and I learned a lot." He said that participants from non-religious schools have a distinct disadvantage: "[Some of] the contestants from religious schools get time off to study, and help from the teachers - while in my school I learned it all myself… And of course they have more hours of Bible study." He made it clear that his school and his friends are very encouraging and proud of his achievement.
Some 275 schools, only half of them religious, took part in the various stages of the National Bible Contest. What effect does Bible study have on his non-religious fellow contestants, Alex was asked. "First of all," he replied, "when we are together, they are very considerate of the others, even in observing the Sabbath to some extent when we were together... I would say that their study of the Bible has an effect on them in a religious sense."
Regarding the future, Alex said that, among his other plans, he will definitely continue to study Bible after the contest: "To be a Bible teacher could be very enjoyable - we'll see; anything can happen."