When the Hebrew Language Olympiad presents the awards to its 2025 winners in Jerusalem on Friday, one unlikely champ will accept his via a video call from Egypt.

Mahmoud, who is Muslim, joined the competition after speaking with an Israeli friend who had previously competed. As a person who loves languages and embraces challenges, Mahmoud was enthusiastic to participate.

“Hebrew, like any language, is a way to bring people together,” said Mahmoud, who asked that his last name be withheld from this article over concerns for his safety and privacy. “Languages ​​are not just sounds that come out of the mouth; they are also how we can understand each other and make peace, which we so need in our day. This event gives me hope for a better world.”

Whether or not the Hebrew Language Olympiad can help bring peace in the Middle East, the contest’s organizers hope it will at least help spark greater interest in Hebrew.

“Our dream is that students from all over the world will participate, strengthening the learning and teaching of the Hebrew language,” Einat Gonen, a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University’s Hebrew language department and the founder of the Hebrew Language Olympiad, told The Times of Israel.

Launched in 2021 at Tel Aviv University as an initiative directed at Israeli Jews, the contest is now expanding its horizons as it seeks to challenge students to think about language in new ways through novel linguistic challenges and unusual riddles. There are two groups, middle school and school, and all are welcome to try their luck in the first round.

More than 5,600 people participated in this year’s event, held in collaboration with the Hebrew Language Academy, the Ministry of Education, and the Consortium for Teaching Hebrew at Brandeis. It is a project of the........

© The Times of Israel