Annual Bible festival brings thousands to Isaac Herzog College

The 31st “Yemei Iyun B'Tanach” Bible Study Days at Herzog College recently drew over 5,000 participants from Israel and globally, with parallel “Tanach Nights” in Jerusalem and Modi'in. The four-day annual “Bible Festival” on the shared campus of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Herzog Academic College in Alon Shvut featured lectures in multiple languages by scholars from Herzog College, Yeshivat Har Etzion, and international institutions like Yeshiva University. Many lectures were live-streamed and recordings made available, with a fifth day offering tours of historical sites. The event emphasized the Bible's contemporary relevance and its role in Jewish and national identity, with current affairs and the ongoing war being recurring themes. Prof. Avishalom Westreich, president of Herzog College, stated, “Especially in these days, when the State of Israel and the Jewish people face complex internal and external challenges, the study of the Tanach is not merely an echo from the past, but illuminates our life in the present, offering us a path for understanding current events.”