Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today met on Monday with the contestants of the International Bible Quiz, which will be held on Thursday. 

53 young people from countries around the world, including four contestants from Israel, will compete in this year’s Quiz which is held every year on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.

Netanyahu wished the contestants success and said, “I call on you to immigrate to Israel. The story of the Bible is not a simple story. It is a real story that occurred in real places and involved exemplary people like the prophet Isaiah, King David and many others. This is your country. This is your story. This is your heritage. I call on you to translate the Bible not into foreign languages but into actions. I would like you to come and live here and, as Jewish young people, to become part of history. Come here and succeed.”

Education Minister Gideon Saar, IDF Chief Education Officer Brig.-Gen. Eli Shremeister and International Bible Quiz Coordinator Maj. Rabbi Malachi Raabed also attended the meeting.

Saar told the contestants, “You are very young, but you have a big advantage – the knowledge and proficiency in the books of the Bible. This is the most important asset you have, because you know who you are and what your identity is. What united the people of Israel throughout the generations is our heritage and above all the Bible.”