For the first time in three decades, the ‘Chatan Tanach Olami’, winner of the annual International Bible Quiz held in Yerushalayim on Independence Day, is a student from a non-religious public school.

The winner is Sagiv Logasi, 15, of Maalot Tarshicha, who attends the ORT Maalot School, which is not a religious school.

Taking second place was Naomi Cohen of the Tzfat Ulpana and third place went to Maria Shpilowitz, a student from Belarus who taught herself as her school does not include Tanach studies as it is not a Jewish school. Shlomo Helfgot of Teaneck, NJ was in fourth place.

The event was hosted in the Jerusalem Theater, emceed by Dr. Avshalom Kor, in the presence of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Education Minister Naftali Bennet, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, and other senior state officials.

The contestants hailed from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, and the United States,

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)