Bible Quiz Gets 1st U.S. Victor in 15 Years
The two-hour battle neared its climax. Tension was palpable. Rhythmic chants from fans urged on the competitors, who wiped sweat from their brows as the interlocutor spoke like the voice of the Chronicler.
When it was over, the annual International Bible Quiz had its first American victor in 15 years. Jeremy Weider had won the “Super Bowl” of Old Testament scholarship for Jewish teen-agers.
“I’m elated,” said the 17-year-old from Monsey, N.Y. “I studied so hard for this. Two hours of Bible reading every day for 7 months. But I never thought I’d win.”
Weider, a religious Jew who attends Yeshiva University in New York, shared first place with Zehava Heder, an Israeli with an identical point total.
Contestants were given more than 20 questions involving intricate details of quotations from the Jewish Bible, which is the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The last question was posed by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who asked them to identify 10 quotations about visions of peace.
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