“Five members of my family have already participated in the Bible Quiz and now it’s my turn.”
We met with 6 young contestants to talk about Judaism and Israel.
For most of us, Yom Ha’atzma’ut is flags on our balcony, a family BBQ in the park – and the Bible Quiz on television. Since 1963 the World Bible Quiz for Jewish Youth has been organized by the Ministry of Education and the Jewish Agency. This year the Jewish Agency brought 72 Jewish youngsters, aged 14-18, from 41 different countries, to Israel. For them Yom Ha’atzma’ut also represents the moment of truth. After many months of study and participation in the Bible Camp, during which they tour all over Israel, 16 of these contestants will participate in the final competition and try to win the title Chatan or Kallat Hatanach for 2019, which was held on the theme of “Maintaining Unity and Uniqueness.”
Lilya Shapilevitz (16), Belarus
Why did you decide to participate in the Bible Quiz? “When I was young my father would read to us different sections of the Bible every night at supper. It really connected me to the stories. “Five members of my family have already participated in the Bible Quiz and now it’s my turn. I’ve wanted to do this for many years and I’m happy I was able to this year. I studied for 5-6 months with my sister who has already participated in the Quiz and she helped me a lot.”
What was the studying like? “I go to school in the morning, and to art school in the afternoon. I learned for the quiz in the evening, mainly when I was lying in bed – about 2 hours every day. I read stories from the Torah and imagined the events in my head. It helped me have a visual picture of what happened.”
What are your hobbies, other than learning the Bible? “Drawing, dancing alone and playing the piano.”
Have you ever been to Israel? “Yes, I’ve been here once. I participated in a family roots project. I made a 3.5 minute video clip about us and won first place.”
Who is your favorite biblical character? “Samuel, it is hard for me to explain, but there is something special about him.”
What is it like being Jewish in Belarus? “The Bible is an inseparable part of our lives, but we celebrate the Jewish holidays in a not-religious way. We have family meals, but we don’t keep all traditions, other than Yom Kippur, Pesach and Chanuka.”
Dana Levy (16), Venezuela
Why did you decide to participate in the Bible Quiz? “I’ve always loved studying the Bible. My mother is my Bible teacher at school and I didn’t think twice about it when they told me that I could also learn Bible and also visit my family in Israel. I don’t see them a lot. It is very expensive and difficult to travel from Venezuela to Israel. I studied intensively for six weeks to represent my country in the World Bible Quiz.”
What was the studying like? “The situation in Venezuela is not stable, so you never know if there is going to be school tomorrow, or not. One time we didn’t have school for a few weeks, so they sent the work to us at home. I tried to combine my school studies with learning for the Quiz and I managed to learn 4 hours a day. My mother helped me, but she doesn’t know the whole Bible, so now I know more than her.”
What are your hobbies, other than learning the Bible? “I teach dance and I love to draw.”
Have you ever been to Israel? “Yes, this is my second time here. The first was at my Bat Mitzvah – but we hardly left the hotel. I’ve come here both to enjoy myself, but also to forget my problems at home.”
Do you want to come and live in Israel? “Yes, I love Israel very much, but I still find it hard imagining myself living here.”
Who is your favorite biblical character? “No doubt, Devorah the prophet. I love to be first at everything I do and I think that girls should be given as much honor as boys in the Bible. Devorah is a very inspirational person. She is the first and only women judge in the Bible, and I can see some of myself in her.”
What is your favorite Jewish holiday? “I love eating bread, but Pesach is my favorite. In my family we have this tradition that each person learns his part of the Haggadah and then says it out loud at the Seder in Hebrew and Spanish. We finish the Seder at 02:00.”
What is it like being Jewish in Venezuela? “It makes me feel proud. Venezuela is currently in a very difficult situation. People are scared to walk in the streets. There is no food, no water and no electricity. There is a Jewish club, where there is always water and electricity, and it is protected. There I feel safe. The club is my second home, I leave there every night at 19:00 or 20:00.”
What did the community say to you before you left for Israel? “I keep on getting updates on what is going on there. Things are changing all the time. I am scared mainly that I might not be able to go back to Venezuela, because of what is going on there in the past few days. They told me not to think about it too much and enjoy myself here. So, I’m trying.”
Daniel Velov (14) Singapore
Why did you decide to participate in the Bible Quiz? “I felt that it was an invitation to come to Israel and see the beautiful country. I studied for two months, about 1-1.5 hours a day.”
What are your hobbies, other than learning the Bible? “Chicago Bulls, football and computer games.”
Have you ever been to Israel? “No, and I am very excited to come here.”
Who is your favorite biblical character? “No doubt, Moses. He has a great story that I love reading.”
What is your favorite Jewish holiday? “Chanuka, because we get gifts.”
What is it like being Jewish in Singapore? “I was born in Bulgaria and moved to Singapore 11 years ago, because of my parents’ work, but I still feel Bulgarian. There are about 1,000 Jews in Singapore – which is considered large, in comparison to the size of the island. You can learn Torah without a problem and nobody will say or do anything against you. They won’t threaten you and there is no anti-Semitisim.
Masanga Ihao (18), Ethiopia
Why did you decide to participate in the Bible Quiz? “The Jewish community in Ethiopia is very connected to the Bible and Judaism and we want to show this. For me it was also a good opportunity to visit Israel. I studied for the Quiz for 5 months, four hours a day. I learned the Bible before then, but I had to study harder because the Quiz is difficult.”
What are your hobbies, other than learning the Bible? “I love football and learning Oral Law.”
Do you want to come and live in Israel? “My grandmother and aunt live in Israel and I hope that I will be able to come here one day.”
Who is your favorite biblical character? “Moses. He was our people’s greatest leader. He never gave up and led the Jewish Nation through all its problems. He believed in his way until the end.”
What is your favorite biblical story? “The Song of Songs and Psalms. These are stories with beautiful verses that you can take with you through life. Korach is also a favorite chapter”.
What is it like being Jewish in Ethiopia? “It is very difficult. Non-Jews don’t like the Jews, so they make a lot of difficulties for us. There is anti-Semitism, they don’t like our laws and that is why we all want to come to Israel.”
What did the community say to you before you left for Israel? “There are many children in our community. They all wished me luck and asked me to take a lot of photographs and tell them what it is like in Israel. They all love Israel very much.”
Nathan Samson (15), New Zealand
Why did you decide to participate in the Bible Quiz? “My Rabbi told me about the Quiz. I go to Talmud lessons, I learn on Shabbat, participate in a Minyan – and I was very happy to be chosen to represent my community, as an outstanding Torah student.”
What was the studying like? “I learned most intensively for the last 2-3 weeks. Torah and mitzvot are a major part of my day, so it all just fitted in.”
What are your hobbies, other than learning the Bible? “I play cricket and basketball and love sports in general.”
Have you ever been to Israel? “I was born in Israel and moved to New Zealand when I was two years old. I visited Israel two years ago.”
What is your favorite place in Israel? “Petach Tikva, where I was born. I know that it is less popular among Israelis.”
Who is your favorite biblical character? “I wanted to say King David, but I am choosing Samson. I love his story, his strength, and the changes in the story. It is very interesting.”
What is your favorite Jewish holiday? “Pesach, because you’re not supposed to eat most things and somehow you find yourself eating more than usual.”
What is it like being Jewish in New Zealand? “It is very difficult, because there aren’t many Jews here. There are only two small communities in the main cities. Many Jews don’t identify with Judaism and not many people come to social events. There are no Jewish schools in Wellington.”
Rivka Kostobeska (16), Macedonia
Why did you decide to participate in the Bible Quiz? “I wanted to participate in the Quiz already two years ago and studied in case I was chosen. The moment they told me that I had been chosen, I just started studying like crazy. The last two weeks were like a marathon, from morning to night.”
What was the studying like? “I love reading and writing poetry.”
Have you ever been to Israel? “This is my first time.”
What is your favorite biblical story? “Psalms. They are very realistic and touching. King David wrote exactly what he was going through. It is very humane and written from the heart.”
What is your favorite Jewish holiday? “Chanuka, because I love singing those songs in Ladino.”
What is it like being Jewish in Macedonia? “It is very difficult because there are only 120 Jews in Macedonia. That’s all. We don’t celebrate all the Jewish holidays. We don’t have a Rabbi, the synagogue is closed most of the year. People aren’t anti-Semitic, but they don’t understand us and don’t understand what it’s like to be a Jew, because we are such a small community.”