The Bible in Israeli Life*
Uriel Simon
The Bible, once at the center of the cultural scene in Israel, has become marginalized; its magic has faded. A new Israeli generation no longer believes that, to be considered educated, one must be well‐versed in the canonical national literature; to a greater or lesser degree, it rejects Bible study as a required subject. Pride in the greatness of the Bible is giving way to alienation; instead of proficiency in Scripture one finds unashamed ignorance of its content. Before we can measure the depth of the change and trace its causes, we must examine the situation as it was until recently, when the Bible proudly held sway over the Israeli scene.