Rami's victory smile
Photo: Tel Aviv City Hall
TEL AVIV - A sixth-grader in the Arab elementary school Hassan Arfa, in Jaffa, shared first prize with another student after winning a history of Zionism contest held by the Tel Aviv municipality on Tuesday.
“Though many didn’t believe it, I knew that I would win because I prepared hard,” said winner Rami Wated, 12. “It doesn’t make a difference if you are an Arab or a Jew so long as you can study and prepare. I sat and studied the (names of) early Tel Aviv and Jaffa streets, sites and parks and the history of the people behind the names.”
Learning on his own
According to Rami, the first time he studied the material was in preparation for the competition.
“We don’t study about Zionism in Arab schools,” he said, adding that entering the contest was done at his own initiative.
Started last year, the citywide quiz challenges sixth-graders to demonstrate knowledge about Tel Aviv’s past mayors and cultural figures in addition to asking questions about the city’s Arab population.