Date: 02.02.10

Benjamin and Sarah Netanyahu's youngest son, Avner, won the Jerusalem Bible Quiz
on Monday, February 2^nd at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem

At 12:30 on Monday, following a long morning of challenging questions and tests, winner of the 2010 Jerusalem Bible Quiz for Public Schools, held in the elegant auditorium of the Bible Lands Museum, was announced as Avner Netanyahu, son of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah. The crowd cheered for 15 year old Avner as he was announced " Hatan" (Groom) of The 2010 Jerusalem District Bible Quiz, winning over 50 competitors that reached the district level (out of hundreds of students who competed in the various schools). Avner received the high score of 98 points out of 100!

The excited Prime Minister, his wife Sarah and brother Yair sat in the audience together with the parents, family members and friends of the other competitors. Of the questions presented to the contestants during the quiz, a number of them were based on video clips filmed in the Museum's galleries where artifacts relating to specific biblical text were explained. The Museum, celebrating 18 years (Chai) since its establishment, donated its auditorium and guided tours for all of the contestants in support of the Bible Quiz. There to cheer on Avner, were some of his classmates the Leyada High School adjacent to the Hebrew University, who waved signs and cheered in support, together with his teacher Ms. Batya Huri and school principal Dr. Amir Gilad.

Zeev Alon, Head of Society and Youth at the Ministry of Education, awarded Avner with the Hatan Certificate, and invited the proud parents, Binyamin and Sarah Netanyahu, together with Bible Lands Museum Director, Amanda Weiss, the winners, and judges to the stage as the audience rose to sing the national anthem, Hatikvah, together.

The aim of the annual Bible Quiz is to encourage interest in and study of the Bible by Jewish youth worldwide. The Bible Lands Museum plays an important role in enriching the knowledge and appreciation of the Bible to children and youth. The permanent exhibition at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem reveals the daily life and religious rituals of the cultures of the ancient peoples. Bible Quiz organizers reiterated how ideal the Museum's setting was for this event since the exhibits are accompanied by biblical quotes enabling the visitor to understand the interaction between the cultures of the ancient Near East and modern Israel. Yehuda Kaplan head of BLMJ's Education Department said in his greetings to the Quiz participants: "The Bible Lands Museum sees itself as a resource for people who love the Bible, learn the Bible and who want to understand the material cultures and surroundings which the Bible came from".

Mrs. Netanyahu’s family has a long history of participating in the Bible Quiz. Three of her brothers previously participated in the Quiz: Amatzia Ben Artzi, was deputy Hatan (Groom) of the International Bible Quiz; Matanya Ben Artzi won the National Bible Quiz at the young age of 10 and Hagai Ben Artzi was the winner of the International Bible Quiz. Sara Netanyahu's father, Mr. Shmuel Ben Artzi, is one of the senior Bible teachers in Israel, and has published a popular text book for Bible Quiz participants.