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August 17, 2007
Learning a neighbor's language
Menashe Regional Council workers learn to speak Arabic in order
to break down barriers.
GAIL LICHTMAN ISRAEL PRESS SERVICE
It's an ongoing problem for our department," explained Sara
Addad, a senior social worker for the Menashe Regional Council,
the local authority for some 12,000 residents in Israel's northern
Sharon region. "Some 3,000 of the residents within our jurisdiction
are Arab citizens, and yet we only have one Arabic-speaking social
worker. When she's not in the office and people come in who don't
speak Hebrew, we're faced with a serious lack of communication."
So when Addad heard that the Menashe Regional Council was offering
an innovative course in spoken Arabic and Arabic culture for employees,
she jumped at the chance.
A joint initiative of the Abraham Fund Initiatives, the council
and the Arab-Jewish Centre for Peace in Givat Haviva, the course
aims to improve the quality of services provided to Arab residents
by teaching local authority workers, who interact daily with the
region's Arabs, to communicate with them in their own language.
"As a mixed council, serving both Jews and Arabs, we run numerous
educational and community programs for co-existence, but this is
the first course in Israel specifically for teaching Arabic to public
employees," noted Ilan Sadeh, head of the Menashe Regional
Council.
The project is part of a comprehensive effort by the Abraham Fund
(a nonprofit organization that promotes co-existence between Jewish
and Arab citizens of Israel through advocacy and awareness campaigns
and co-existence projects) towards the de facto establishment of
Arabic as an official language of the state of Israel. This includes
the teaching of Arabic language and culture to 12,000 children in
126 elementary schools nationwide, in partnership with the Israel
Ministry of Education, and Arabic language and culture courses for
police officers serving in districts with mixed Jewish/Arab populations,
which is run in co-operation with the Israeli police.
"Arabic is not only a means of communication," said Amnon
Be'eri-Sulitzeanu, executive director of the Abraham Fund in Israel,
"but can serve as a tool for promoting equality and shared
citizenship in Israel and a bridge through which Jews get to know
Arabs and their culture. This is very important if we want to live
in co-existence and peace with the one million Israeli citizens
– some 20 per cent of the country's population – who are
native Arabic speakers. I hope that other local authorities and
government bodies will follow the lead of the Menashe Regional Council
and initiate courses of this kind in order to promote co-existence
and equal access to services for the Arab populations."
"Arab residents of Israel, even in mixed regions and cities,
suffer from the fact that they must know Hebrew in order to receive
services," added Lee Perlman, director of programs and initiatives
at the Abraham Fund. "By learning to converse even in basic
Arabic, the regional council workers will be making a great impact."
The Menashe Regional Council course uses a curriculum developed
by the Centre for Peace, which provides 100 hours of instruction
(30 sessions) and includes visits to Arab villages to enable participants
to practise their language skills and become better acquainted with
Arab tradition and heritage.
Twenty-three council workers who work in the areas of education,
tax collection, culture and social welfare are presently participating
in the course.
"I realize that the participants come after a day's work and
that sitting and learning Arabic is not easy for them," said
Eyad Jabir, an Arabic language teacher who teaches both in junior
high schools and at the Centre for Peace, "so I try to make
it as much fun as possible. We learn Arabic songs and I accompany
them on the electric organ.
"The emphasis is on spoken Arabic," Jabir continued. "Grammar
is less important. I want them to speak – even if they make
mistakes. This is the best way to learn the language. I also teach
them about customs, culture and history so that they can understand
the lifestyles of the Bedouin, Christian, Muslim and Druze communities.
Eventually, we will go on trips to visit different villages and
Arab homes. When you are warmly welcomed into someone's home, stereotypes
tend to fall by the wayside. I try to present an objective and full
picture and not whitewash the less pleasant facts. Yes, there are
problems, but only by understanding the cultural context of the
people they serve will the municipal workers be able to provide
better assistance."
Uri Sabar is administrative director of the council's education
department. Although he does not deal directly with the Arabic-speaking
public, he feels it is important to know the language and culture.
"We have a number of Arab employees in the department and learning
their language has brought us closer," he said. "When
I speak Arabic with them, I can tell that they really appreciate
my efforts."
Ety Ganz, another participant in the course, is the council librarian.
"I have always wanted to learn Arabic," he said. "I
am interested in languages and cultures. We don't have any Arabic
books in the library but I firmly believe we should. I came to this
course to get to know my neighbors better, as I encounter Arabs
daily on my family farm. Speaking to them in their language creates
a more pleasant atmosphere and helps to create bonds. I have participated
in co-existence groups, but they were always conducted in Hebrew.
Speaking Arabic changes the dynamics."
Although Addad has only completed seven lessons, she is already
seeing the fruits of her labor: "A woman came into the office
just the other day when the Arabic-speaking social worker was out,"
she explained. "She was very upset. Not only did I manage to
calm her down and understand the general gist of her problem, but
I was also able to tell her when the social worker would be in.
OK, it was not a deep conversation, but I made the connection and
I am confident that, by the end of the course, I will really be
able to communicate."
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