Glory for budding bible boffins

TWO young Australians took part in the grand final of the International Bible Quiz this week after beating more than 12,000 other students from around the globe to secure their places in the final 16.

The contest, held in Jerusalem, was broadcast live on Israeli television on Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Eli Kaltmann, 14, from Leibler Yavneh College in Melbourne and Shira Lawrence, 15, from Kesser Torah College in Sydney, represented Australia after coming first and second respectively in the national heats at the end of last year.

Lawrence received a perfect score in the final, however, because her marks carried over from the
qualifying rounds she finished in 12th spot, one position behind Kaltmann.

Despite not winning, the pair both said they had a sensational time. “It’s an amazing experience, meeting people from all over the world who love the same thing,” Lawrence said.

“Reading the stories in the Tanach [Bible] is finding out that these people who we hear about were real people. They had real lives, real feelings.

“They made mistakes and that’s meaningful to me. This is our history and it’s connected to this place that we’ve now come back to.”

Kaltmann said being in Israel is amazing. “It’s a very good to learn about it in Tanach and it’s a good experience coming here and seeing the Kotel and going under the tunnel.”

The 16 finalists came from the United States, Canada, Panama, South Africa, Mexico, Belgium and Australia, but the winner was Shlomo Edelman from Nof Ayalon and Shaalvim Yeshiva High School in Israel.

Israel’s Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised all the students for spending time learning Tanach. “The message is the importance we see in the significance of the Bible for Jews from Israel and from the Diaspora,” he said.

“This is connected directly to our Independence Day as the basics of our heritage, of our national culture which continues to the young generation and I think we cannot find something greater than that.”

JOSHUA LEVI