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Jerusalem yeshiva student wins prestigious international Bible quiz

Young yeshiva student Yonatan Weissman won the International Bible Quiz this year. 

By World Israel News Staff

Yonatan Weissman, 18, a resident of Jerusalem and student at the Degel Yerushalayim Yeshiva, is the winner of this year’s prestigious International Bible Quiz for Jewish Youth. The contest tests young people’s knowledge of the Bible and took place at the Jerusalem Theater in Israel’s capital.

Runner-up was Benjamin Kalachmiro, 15, a New Jersey resident from the Kushner Yeshiva.

Third place went to Yarin Bar, 17, a high school student from Rishon LeTzion. In fourth place was Adar Geller, 18, of the Noam Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the ceremony and gave prizes to the winners. He said: “It is a great task to instill the traditions of the Bible and the love of the Bible in all students of Israel.”

In 2010, the prime minister’s own son, Avner, came in third in the International Bible Quiz, having earned the right to compete after winning Israel’s National Bible Contest that year.

Also attending were Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog.

Minister Bennett said, “For 3,000 years we did not have an independent sovereign state that was so successful economically, militarily, technologically and politically. Now we have a great opportunity to show how the State of Israel stands forever as a model Jewish state, sovereign and united, in spite of the disagreements.”

This marks the 56th Bible quiz and this year’s theme was “preserving unity, maintaining uniqueness.”