Dima wins competitions

The first competition is the International Philosophy Olympics (IPO) which takes place in the city of Odense in Denmark. Pupils studying philosophy from all over the world come to this competition having won the local levels in their own countries. In Israel, the selections are done by a commission headed by Professor Skolnikov (a specialist in Greek philosophy), to which pupils interested in this send an essay on a philosophical theme written in English. From among all the essays sent in, two are chosen to participate in the international competition overseas.

I wrote on the idea of moral responsibility in a world without free will, based upon the thought of a contemporary American philosopher Daniel Dennett. Thanks be to God, I passed the local stages and on the Feast of Pentecost the competition will take place in Denmark. The theme of the international competition changes from year to year and this time the theme is the thought of the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard in honor of his 200th birthday.

The second competition was that of young scientists and creators held in the Museum of Science, with the participation of the Intel corporation and the Ministry of Education. In this competition, different kinds of projects are submitted, prepared by high school pupils from all over the country. I submitted a work which surveys Paul’s attitude to different issues in the world of Jewish thought on the backdrop of the variety within Second Temple Judaism. The different stages in the competition check the quality of the project and the ability to present it before the wider public of experts as well as those who are not experts. Thanks be to God again, I was placed first in the competition and this means I receive a generous scholarship to any academic institution in Israel as well as a three week trip to visit research institutes all over Germany at the invitation of the German Ministry of Science.