When Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, known as the father of modern Hebrew, worked to revive the language as a spoken one, he believed it would be a tool to rapidly foster a sense of unity among olim, Jewish immigrants to the land of Israel.
His success at making it accessible for day-to-day use continues to provide a common thread across Israeli society. For many secular Jewish Israelis, speaking Hebrew (“Ivrit”) and serving in the military are some of the most important cultural aspects of their Jewish identities.
Unfortunately, few Diaspora Jews attain proficiency, and many are not exposed to the language beyond learning how to read the prayers to complete their bar or bat mitzvah service. Even then, comprehension of the meaning of these texts is often absent or not fully understood.
Yet many Diaspora Jews want to strengthen their relationship with Israel. Some serve as lone soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces or eventually make aliyah. The good news is that anyone can acquire language skills; it is a transportable asset that has the potential to facilitate meaningful relationships between Diaspora Jews and Israelis.
The story of the language—from antiquity to the 21st century—is laden with Jewish history. Modern Hebrew, with its influence from biblical, rabbinic and medieval Hebrew, can provide the linguistic foundation needed to read the literature and historical documents that have been at the core of Jewish culture for millennia.
Like Jewish self-determination in 1948, the revival of Hebrew overcame all odds. Some near-sighted voices advocated for other languages, like German, to serve as the lingua franca of the future Jewish state. Ben-Yehuda’s vision of a Hebrew-speaking Jewish state was dismissed as unrealistic by Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism. But thanks to Ben-Yehuda’s passion, rooted in the Herzlian logic of “If you will it, it is no dream,” the Hebrew language ultimately triumphed.
Perhaps most importantly, the challenges Ben-Yehuda faced when he revived the Hebrew language parallel the current challenges facing the global pro-Israel community. He had to weather backlash from Jews opposed to reintroducing the lashon hakodesh—the “holy tongue”—into everyday life. The linguist was even jailed by the Ottoman authorities for his efforts toward Jewish self-determination.
Advancing the number of global Hebrew learners is a long-term investment. The Israeli Foreign Ministry should take concrete steps toward this endeavor. The latest innovations in Hebrew-language curricula should be exchanged between Hebrew educators in the Diaspora and instructors teaching in Israel.
Opportunities for young-adult and adolescent Hebrew education in the Diaspora should be more financially and practically accessible.
Hebrew curricula should highlight the Jewish indigenous connection with Israel through language and culture. Classes have the potential to showcase the Jewish and non-Jewish groups in Israel and highlight the beauty, challenges and complexities of Israeli society.
This article was originally published in Jewish News Syndicate.
