Cities of Israel: Letter 'B' Quiz | Asia

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The name of this village was also the name of the last Jewish fortress to remain during the Bar Kochba revolt (132-5 CE). Besides the village, there is a Zionist youth group that carries the name, as well as a football club. What name is it?

Answer: Betar

The village of Betar is south of Jerusalem in the Judean Hills. Over the centuries Bedouin came to settle in this area and it was known as Khirbet al-Yahudi, Arabic for 'the Jew's ruins'. Such evidence gives a lot of fuel for not turning over areas rich in Jewish history to the Palestinians who have no regard for it.

2. This 'B' city was named after Baron Edmund Rothschild. What name does it go by?

Answer: Binyamina

How does one get Binyamina from Edmund Rothschild, you might ask? Well every Jew that has had an orthodox up bringing has a Hebrew name and his was Benjamin. Hebraized it comes out in the form 'Binyamina'. The Baron was a very generous man and he helped many projects get under way financially. The creation of this city honoring him took place in 1922.

3. Not an out right city but as busy as any is the nation's international airport. What is the last name of the person who the airport was named after? Be careful in your spelling and remember the last name is two separate words.

Answer: Ben Gurion

David Ben-Gurion was born in Poland (1886) and his name at birth was David Grun. It wasn't till 1910 that he Hebraized his last name to Ben-Gurion. He was a clearly a man destined to do great things. He studied law in Istanbul, served in the British army's Jewish Legion with distinction and went onto be the first prime minister of the State of Israel.

4. This village, located in the Hula Valley, is named for a three time serving French prime minister. Which place is this?

Answer: Kfar Blum

The man was L�on Blum, a Jew who was born in Paris. He served his terms from June 1936 to June 1937, for one month in 1938, and from December 1946 to January 1947. It's interesting to note that this village was not created by French Jews but rather by Americans, South-Africans and Baltic region Jews.

5. This city, both biblical and modern, is inside the land set aside for the tribe of Judah. The book of Joshua says it's the first city the ark of the covenant encountered on its return from Philistine captivity. What city is this?

Answer: Beit Shemesh

'Beit Shemesh' literally means 'house of the sun' and it is known that the name comes from a Canaanite god that was worshipped in this area.

6. What was the city of Jesus' birth, according to the gospels?

Answer: Bethlehem

The name Bethlehem literally means 'house of bread'. Interestingly enough, in the gospel of John Jesus declares "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (NIV translation)

7. This city's name means 'seven wells' but what is it in Hebrew?

Answer: Beer Sheva

Beer Sheva is a city in the Negev Desert with a long and rich past going all the way back to the time of Abraham. To really appreciate a name such as 'seven wells' a person has to be in the desert away from water to understand such a blessing of not just one but seven sources of water.

8. Nestled into multiple towns north of Haifa this municipality derives its name from a well known Hebrew poet. What is the name of this town?

Answer: Qiryat Bialik

The town was incorporated the same year that Haim Nahman Bialik died (1934). His poetry was rich and it didn't hold back any punches. Bialik's poem 'In the City of Slaughter' brought heavy criticism to those pacifists who refused to defend themselves against Cossack attacks.

One other interesting indirect tidbit is worth mentioning here. Some of you may remember the TV series 'Blossom' that ran in the nineties. The lead actress of the show was Mayim Bialik, a relative of the late poet. Her name Mayim means 'water' in Hebrew.

9. This is Israel's most densely populated city and the poorest one per capita in the district of Tel Aviv. What neighborhood is this?

Answer: Bnei Brak

Although it is home to the Coca-Cola bottling plant, a true landmark in Israel, Bnei Brak is most known to Israelis as having a huge 'haredi' (ultra-orthodox) Jewish population.

10. This is a neighborhood of Tel Aviv. If you know the Hebrew name for the Talmud due to one edition's origins, then you know the answer. The question is what is that shared name?

Answer: Bavli

'Bavli' is the Hebrew word that refers to Babylon. The region, not the TV show. In this region a collection of rabbinical writings was compiled and the Talmud was formed. That's the really short version. There are two versions of the Talmud, Bavli being the most used and the second version is the Jerusalem Talmud.

Source: Author dovbear

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Leau before going online.
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Cities of Israel: Letter 'B' Trivia Quiz

Carrying on with the Alef-Bet city quizzes for Israel here is the installment for the letter 'Bet'.

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