Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu competed on Tuesday in the fifth International Bible Quiz held in Jerusalem on Tuesday… but despite his year-long study sessions at the prime minister’s office and at home, the winner was an Israeli named Hananel Malka.
Netanyahu accepted the loss with grace, commenting that he loves to learn.
“I study Bible every week with my son, and I draw enormous strength from it,” the prime minister said. “Therefore I decided to re-establish the Bible Quiz for adults, and I renewed the Bible department…
“That’s the spirit that gives us the strength to stand against all of the challenges and pressures,” he added.
Deputy Education Minister Avi Wortzman told participants at the competition, “The Bible was and is the main unifier of our identity as a nation. The Bible is the source of our lives; it is the source of our rights to fight for our lives here in the Land of Israel.”
Wortzman added that just as the Bible is connected to all, “we must do everything so that it returns to the main street of Israeli society.”