Shira Shines
Shira Lawrence, a Year 11 student at Sydney’s Kesser Torah College Girls High School, was named as one of 16 finalists in the annual international Bible Quiz (Chidon HaTanach), which took place in Jerusalem this month.
Shira Lawrence
Shira was one of two Australian students who reached the finals, which were attended by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Gideon Saar.
The theme of this year’s contest was Ahavas Haaretz (Love of the land of Israel). The competition was an opportunity for students with a shared passion for Tanach to come together and visit the sites of the Bible, and to understand how the ancient texts are relevant in modern day society.
Shira was honoured to be named as a finalist in the prestigious competition, saying that, “It’s an amazing experience, meeting people from all over the world who love the same thing. Reading the stories in the Tanach is finding out that these people who we hear about were real people. They had real lives, real feelings. They made mistakes and that’s meaningful to me. This is our history and it’s connected to this place that we’ve now come back to.”
