As Pope Benedict XVI paid his first official visit to the Jewish state, the Consulate General of Israel in New York launched a Facebook application geared particularly toward Christian audiences, which employs photographs and multiple-choice quiz questions to test users’ knowledge of Israel. Through “Holy Land Trivia: From Creation to Creativity,” the Consulate hopes to expose people to Israel’s historical gems, from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to the Bahai Gardens in Haifa and the Bauhaus architecture of Tel Aviv. At the end of the quizzes, users receive their tabulated scores and have the opportunity to share the application with their Facebook friends and view further information about the places. This project is just one of many efforts of the Consulate to bolster Israel’s public image through social networking and other online mechanisms.
“The Pope’s visit gives us the opportunity to expose people to Israel’s historic locations as well as the modern Israel and all its many important sites,” said David Saranga, consul for Media and Public Affairs. “Many people hear about Israel and the Holy Land in an abstract sense and we want to help develop their connection to the real place."
The application is available through the Consulate’s Facebook page at www.israelfm.org/facebook.
