She is just 17 years old and she has already won the Jerusalem District Bible Contest for secular public schools. She is one of four pupils who will represent Israel at the annual International Bible Contest, which will be held on Independence Day in Jerusalem this week. It seems that nothing can stop her. At least, nothing except her faith in Yeshua. For Bat-El Levy belongs to a family of Messianic Jews, who believe that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel. Israeli anti-missionary organization Yad L'Achim were fuming whenever they found out that a Messianic Jew was representing Israel in the International Bible Contest. They believe that Bat-El has "has a chance of becoming the world Bible champion", and that her participation in the contest will serve only to "greatly encourage the spread of Christianity among the Jews". Yah L'Achim director Shlomo Dov Lipschitz sent a letter to the Rabbinical and lay leaders in the religious community to try and have her disqualified from the competition, on the grounds that her faith in Yeshua means she cannot be considered a true Jew. But the Ministry of Education have refused to disqualify her, stating that the school records and population registry list her as Jewish, and that she is eligible to take part in the competition. Yad L'Achim has now written to some of the contestants and is hoping to convince them to boycott the contest over Bat-El's participation in the event.

Quote: "Levy, the Bible quiz champion for the Jerusalem district, was unavailable for comment. Relatives said she was too busy studying for the competition to deal with the media uproar.

As the article points out, if it weren't for the interference of Yad L'Achim, none of this would have come to the attention of the press. The event would have passed off without so much as a whisper, but now everyone's eyes will be on Bat-El to see whether or not she can win the competition and silence her antagonists. Unfortunately Jewish believers in Yeshua are still persecuted for their faith in the Messiah in Israel, just as they were in New Testament times.

Acts 5:27-29
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

But praise God that He is working amongst the Jewish people in Israel, and that the blindness which has afflicted the nation for nearly 2000 years is being lifted. Pray for Bat-El, that the Lord would give her help to obey God rather than men, and that the name of Yeshua will be lifted up among His people.

Source JTA, Arutz 7