Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the next edition of our Hebrew newsletter. As fall approaches, we are all
feeling the pull of the back to school season. Even if we do not have children
boarding the bus, the smell in the air, the change of season and the end of summer
vacation still remind us of school.
That is why we have dedicated this issue to education. We thought you might be interested
in seeing how Israel differs from the United States in its approach to education. We
believe that knowing about the culture gives you an insight into the language. We have
also included a tip for our users, news about our web site and a new product announcement.
We hope you enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
Ma-arekhet hakhinukh hayisraelit hi akhat hahatslakhot hagdolot shel hamdina. Haskala
tikhonit khinam vhaskala gvoha takharutit vlo ykara hafkhu et Yisrael lamdina ba-alat
haokhlosiya hamaskila byoter bamizrakh hatikhon. Ulakhat hamdinot hamovilot baolam
bamekhkar uvata-asiya bitkhom hahay-tek.
Shmira al tokhnit limudim ko yomranit ma-amida etgarim rabim btarbut pluralistit. Yisrael
hina mdinat hagira hadogelet bimdineyut shel mizug khevrati, ulvatey-hasefer hayisrelim
yesh tafkid merkazi batahalikh haze. Ulam btarbut zu, shema-arikha meod haskala, batey
hasefer, shehem ekhad hamarkivim hakhashuvim byoter shel kurhahitukh, nimtsaim besakanat
krisa takhat pilug adati kmo gam dati.
Kur hitukh ze nekhlak lma-ase l'arba-akurim: batey-sefer khiloniyim, batey-sefer datiyim,
batey-sefer arviyim notsrim uvatey-sefer arviyim muslemim (hatalmidim ykholimlivkhor
bazerem hamatim lahem). Kol akhat mikvutsot elu matsiga etgarim myukhadim.
Batey sefer atsmaiyim lihudim kharedim (datiyim-kitsuniyim), kayamim meaz kum hamdina,
vgam hem mtuktsavim al yadeha. Ulam khelek mehayisrelim mitnagdim lma shehem roim
kizkhuyut yeter asher muanakot lvatey sefer ele gam shmuot al tiul mashabim lma-arekhet
khinukh zu val shkhituyot umila bikhsafim al-ydey manhigim kharedim, enan bilti shkhikhot.
La-akharona, taktsiv ma-arekhet hakhinukh hakharedi birushalayim nimtsa bapa-am harishona,
bishlita lo kharedit vzot, l'akhar shemnahalim hitlonenu al i kabalat ksafim shehuktsevu
lvatey hasefer shelahem.
Afilu batey hasefer hakhilonihim, ha-akharaim al mizug yeladim el tokh hakhevra
hayisraelit, mhavim l'itim krovot hakdama limdiniyut shel pelug. Lmashal: rov hayisrelim
maskimim shetanakh vhistorya yhudit hem khelek bilti nifrad mitakhnot halimudim. Ulam
hapratim al darkhey hahora-a shelahem mhavim makor lkhilukey deot. Akhat habeyayot
hakashot byoter hi tkhushat hahaflaya ha-adatit. Khelek mehayisraelim gam khoshvim
shehama-arekhet hi ba-alat deot kdumot klapey yehudim sfaradim asher higru mehamizra
hatikhon umitsfon-afrika.
Batey hasefer ha-arvi-im, hameyhavim k'20% meokhlosiyat batey hasefer ba-arets, hem ulay
habeayatiyim. Akhuz haneshira mehem gavoha yoter m'asher mibatey sefer yehudiyim. Nosaf
al-kakh, gam mispar hatalmidim ha-arvi-im hamamshikhim lilmod bmosadot lehaskala gvoha
namukh yoter. Akhat hasibot lkhakh, al pi hamerkaz hayisreli listatistika, hi shebatey
hasefer ha-arvi-im mkablim pakhot mashabim meyasher batey hasefer hayehudiyim. Hakitot
bahem tsfufot yoter, umispar sheot halimud bahem katan yoter.
Yosi Sarid, sar hakhinukh hekhadash, hivtiakh reforma bma-arekhet hakhinukh hayisrelit,
lrabot batey hasefer ha-arvi-im. Ulam b'uma sheba kur hitukh ekhad pina makom lmispar
kurey hitukh, etgarim khadashim hem tamid malhivim meod akh tamid gam mitlahatim maher
meod.
In English:
The Israeli educational system is one of the great success stories of the nation. Free
education through high school and inexpensive, if competitive, higher education have made
Israel the best-educated nation in the Middle East and a world leader in high-tech
research and industry.
Keeping up such an ambitious educational program presents many challenges in a pluralistic
culture. A nation of immigrants, Israel subscribes to a melting pot theory of integration,
and the Israeli schools play a major role in the process. But even in a culture that
prizes education like few others, Israeli schools are themselves in danger of melting down
under the heat of religious and ethnic divisions.
The melting pot is, in fact, four pots: schools are characterized as secular Hebrew,
religious Hebrew, Christian Arab and Muslim Arab, with students free to choose the type of
school they prefer. Each group presents particular challenges.
Separate private schools for ultra-religious Jews have existed since Israel's founding.
Many Israelis resent public funding of these schools as well as what they perceive as
special privileges granted to these schools. Rumors of corruption and diversion of funds
by religious leaders are also not uncommon. Recently, the budget of the Hareidi
(ultra-orthodox) education department of Jerusalem came under the control of a non-Hareidi
for the first time, after principals complained of not receiving money budgeted to their
schools.
Even the secular schools that are responsible for integrating children into Israeli
society often serve as an introduction to the politics of division. For instance, most
Israelis agree that the Bible and Jewish history are an integral part of the curriculum,
but the details of teaching them are a cause for controversy. One of the most difficult
problems is the sense of ethnic division. Some feel the system is prejudiced against
Sephardic Jews who have immigrated from the Middle East and North Africa.
Arab schools are perhaps the most troubled, with about 20% of the school population. Their
dropout rate is higher than in Hebrew schools and fewer Arab students go on to higher
education. One of the reasons is that Arab schools receive less funding than Jewish
schools, according to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. Classrooms are more crowded
and hours of instruction fewer.
The new Minister of Education, Yossi Sarid, has promised reforms in Israel's educational
system, particularly in the Arab schools. But in a nation where one melting pot has given
way to several, new challenges are always stirring-- and always getting hotter.
Sources:
Chronicle of Higher Education
Encyclopedia of Education
Israeli Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tips for Languages of the World
Don't be overwhelmed by a Title! You don't have to work with all the text at once. Focus
on a small portion of the text - however you feel comfortable. For a quick summary and
some background information about any Title, choose Help / Author Introduction while the
Title is open. It's a good way to get an idea of what the text is about.
Numbers are a handy thing to know in any language. Check out the list of numbers at the
end of the Hebrew Title. You can learn to count out loud by double-clicking on the
numbers.
Want to test your Language Proficiency?
We have developed online proficiency tests for you to assess your language skills. Go to http://www.transparent.com/tlquiz/proftest/index.htm
on our web site to see how you do. It's a fast, easy & fun way to get some feedback on
your progress.
