Jewish Israelis are heading to Arabic class — and learning a bit more about Palestinians
‘I thought it was absurd that Jews don’t know Arabic and lots of people agreed with me,’ said Gilad Sevitt, who developed a popular online course to teach it
‘I thought it was absurd that Jews don’t know Arabic and lots of people agreed with me,’ said Gilad Sevitt, who developed a popular online course to teach it
BERLIN (JTA) — Concentration camp memorials in Germany should offer tours in Arabic, Germany’s main Jewish leader urged. Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told the Welt am Sonntag weekly newspaper that the former concentration camp in Flossenbürg is already considering adding tours in Arabic. “This should be expanded to…
(JTA)— A vigil held by pro-Israel activists in London for Jews murdered in Arab countries was dispersed violently by men shouting about killing Jews in Arabic. The event Wednesday by the Israel Advocacy Movement was held on Speaker’s Corner in London’s Hyde Park, which is known for its culture of free speech and passionate street preachers…
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Middle East peace may remain out of reach, but at least the Hebrew and Arabic languages have found a compromise. Israeli typography designer Liron Lavi Turkenich has created a stylized writing system that merges the two ancient alphabets, allowing Hebrew and Arabic speakers to read the same words. Her hope is…
(JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League called on the Huffington Post’s Arabic-language edition to remove a blog post claiming a Jewish woman poisoned the Prophet Muhammad with arsenic. The ADL has been urging the site to take down the article since shortly after it was published Nov. 29, the organization said in a press release on Thursday….
When it comes to making an emphatic point, Israeli Jews often reach for Arabic. From telling someone “Let’s go,” (“Yalla!”) to expressing surprise (“Walla!”) Arabic is a part of daily speech for Hebrew speakers. Modern Hebrew is heavily influenced by Arabic, borrowing both words and grammar from the language. Israeli musician Meir Ariel commented on…
A simple tote bag created by Haifa designers Sana Jammalieh and Haitham Haddad is sweeping the internet as a commentary on global anti-Arab sentiment. Black Arabic script on the bag reads: “This text has no other purpose than to spread terror in the hearts of those who are afraid of the Arabic language.” Nader al-Sarras,…
Homeland, Homeland, Homeland. How many times do I have to tell you? You need to hire an Arabic speaker. Like, yesterday. Otherwise, you might end up in some pretty sticky situations. You might call your own show “racist.” In Arabic. By accident. Oops! In the most recent episode of the hit TV spy drama, a…