Abstract
This chapter discusses the history of teaching the four languages in Israeli secondary schools and the official instruction policy. Russian was previously taught as the mother tongue for newcomers, but this situation has changed over the years. About 8000 students currently attend classes in middle and high schools. Most of the students of Amharic were born in Ethiopia, while some arrived after childhood, and the number of students has gradually increased to 700 annually.
Regarding the foreign languages, the number of students who select Spanish for their matriculation exams is approximately 500 per year, mostly motivated by television programs. French used to be a compulsory subject at secondary schools, and students were allowed to choose between French and Arabic, later on becoming an elective subject.
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Notes
- 1.
As stated in Chap. 1, Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages in Israel.
- 2.
The term “desert generation” is used symbolically and refers to those Hebrews who wandered in the Sinai desert for 40 years and did not arrive to the Promised Land.
- 3.
Yeshayahu Tsehaye, personal communication.
- 4.
On the two different waves of immigration from Ethiopia, see Chap. 2.
- 5.
The Magen David Adom (lit. “Red Star of David”) is the Israeli aid organization affiliated to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
- 6.
In order to investigate the matter and present recommendations, the Navon Commission (headed by the late former President Yitzhak Navon) was established.
- 7.
The Amharic examination is prepared by the Henrietta Szold Institute.
- 8.
The author of the Amharic sections in this book is currently the Chief Supervisor for Amharic Instruction in Israeli schools.
- 9.
However, this rule is not always implemented, and in many cases, students are allowed to study Spanish instead of Arabic or French.
- 10.
The present research was conducted before the new program began being implemented.
- 11.
- 12.
For a detailed discussion on the program, see Chap. 6.
- 13.
For details about the number of students in each institution, see Lerner (2006b) and Lerner and Madrona Fernández (2006–2007).
- 14.
For more details on this language, see Chap. 2.
- 15.
See Chap. 2 on Spanish television in Israel.
- 16.
These textbooks are intended for adults and are not used at school.
- 17.
On translations of books from Spanish to Hebrew, see also Chap. 2.
- 18.
Karl (Charles) Netter (1826–1882) was a Zionist leader and a founding member of the Alliance Israélite Universelle.
- 19.
This is a free translation of the original article, Accord Culturel entre le Gouvernement de la République Française et le Gouvernement de l’Etat d’Israël (Cultural Agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the State of Israel).
- 20.
Note that the French term college refers to a secondary school.
- 21.
Despite the affection that Russian-speaking Israelis have for France, its language, and culture, the Russian-speaking community began struggling to maintain their own native tongue.
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Muchnik, M., Niznik, M., Teferra, A., Gluzman, T. (2016). Teaching the Four Languages in Israel. In: Elective Language Study and Policy in Israel. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34036-4_3
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