ISRAELI LEADER READS AND STUDIES THE BIBLE EVERY WEEKEND WITH CONTEST-WINNING SON

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - (ANS)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he relaxes every Saturday by reading the Bible with his 15-year-old son -- who recently won a national Israeli Bible competition and came in third in the international quizzing contest.

Netanyahu revealed this fascinating piece of information near the end of CNN's 'Larry King Live' show in answer to Larry King's question on whether, as Israeli PM, Netanyahu ever gets time to relax.

Netanyahu said he takes an hour-and-a-half to read the Bible every Saturday morning with his son, Avner. He said the time refreshes him spiritually and that he and his son are learning a great deal from God's Word.

He added that he used to teach his son from the Bible, but now his son is teaching him.

Netanyahu's youngest son Avner Netanyahu, aged 15, beat 50 other teenage candidates, scoring 98 out of a possible 100 points to win the Jerusalem regional Bible quiz, earning a place as the city's sole representative in the national competition. He advanced to the Israeli national competition, the final stage before the International Bible quiz for Youth.

The international competition is held in Jerusalem and is one of the highlights of Israel's annual Independence Day celebrations. It includes a question asked by Prime Minister Netanyahu himself, so this year Netanyahu ended up quizzing his own son.

Israeli media said the quiz was held in the auditorium of the Bible Lands Museum in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.

Binyamin and Sarah Netanyahu were on hand to cheer their son, as was Avner's brother Ya'ir, who is serving in the military. Avner's friends and classmates from the Hebrew University High School, joined in the audience by their homeroom teacher and principal, held signs and actively cheered him on.

When Avner was pronounced the winner of the regional contest, the entire Netanyahu family was invited to the stage to congratulate him and join the judges and Museum Director Amanda Weiss in leading the singing of HaTikvah.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said in an interview nearly a year ago that he often reads the Bible together with his son.

Avner is the latest in a long family line to win recognition for Bible knowledge. His mother Sarah's three brothers have scored high in previous Bible Quizzes: Amatziah Ben-Artzi finished in second place in the International Youth Bible Quiz; Matanyah Ben-Artzi won the national Bible Quiz at age 10; and Hagi Ben-Artzi won the International Youth Bible Quiz. In addition, the Ben-Artzis' father, Shmuel, is a veteran Bible teacher in Israel, and wrote a popular Bible Quiz textbook.

The organizers state that the objective of the quiz is to encourage interest and study among youth in the Bible as the cultural basis of the Nation of Israel. Many of the questions in the quiz were based on short videos filmed in the various galleries of the museum.

The younger Netanyahu, who attracted immense media attention for his participation in the competition, reached the finals with 45 points from the early round.

After answering two correct answers in the national final he eventually stumbled on the third question -- the Prime Minister's Question asked by his father Benjamin Netanyahu -- which under the circumstances was written by main question writer Neria Pinchas.

Avner provided a partial answer, which prevented him from going on to the final head-to-head round.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the end of the competition, "I was very excited together with wife, for our son. It's only natural. And I was deeply impressed with Or and Elad's achievements, as well as those of the other contestants, who are all Bible champions -- each and every one."

Israeli media said Netanyahu and Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the renewal of the Adults Bible Contest starting next Hanukkah, 30 years after the tradition was abandoned.

Israeli media explained that this year's contest, the 47th overall, was held under the theme of the revival of the Hebrew language. Contest director, Chief Education Officer Brigadier-General Eli Shermeister said that the Bible was an inalienable asset for the Israel Defense Forces too.

"View Israel as your home, read about and learn of it," he told the contestants.

Chairman of the panel of judges and former President and Education Minister Yitzhak Navon said, "The Jewish people created the Bible, but the Bible also created the Jewish people. We wouldn't be who we are without it, not a people and probably not a religion."