Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday, 23 May 2012), at his official residence, dedicated the Prime Minister's Tanakh Study Circle in memory of Shmuel Ben-Artzi, the late father of Sara Netanyahu, who also participated in the circle. Mr. Ben-Artzi, who passed away last November, was a Tanakh teacher and researcher.
The Tanakh Study Circle renews a tradition started by Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, and which was continued by its sixth, Menachem Begin.
At the start of the first lesson of the renewed Tanakh Study Circle, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "Ben-Gurion and Begin believed that the Tanakh should be the heritage of the entire nation – secular and religious, young and old, men and women. The Tanakh is the foundation of our existence. It unites the Jewish People, as it has throughout the generations. It also serves not only as a foundation but also as a map and compass. The Tanakh is always relevant vis-à-vis today's problems and challenges. It inspires, it is a source of life for our people and I think that it is important to expand Tanakh study and love of the Tanakh among all parts of the nation. This is also the goal of this circle. I am certain that thanks to the researchers, rabbis and learned men and women here, who know and love the Tanakh, we will enrich our common knowledge."
The Tanakh Study Circle will meets at the Prime Minister's residence in cooperation with the Begin Center. The full lesson, which was dedicated to the upcoming Shavuot holiday, will be uploaded to the Prime Minister's Office YouTube and Facebook pages.