Community Magazine September 2011

The Case for Arabic Arabic is the language of our ancestors. Many communities enjoyed centuries of peace living among the Arabs, and a fair portion of our culture and customs was influenced by the Arabic countries in which we lived. Having a working knowledge of the language will help preserve our heritage and allow the current generation to converse with their grandparents from Middle-Eastern countries. Arabic, a first cousin of Hebrew and Aramaic, is considered one of the five most important languages to know in the global market, and jobs for Arabic speaking people are on the rise in both the economic sector and the anti-terrorism task forces. As Arab nations gain more of a global presence, especially in non-oil related economic areas, knowing Arabic and understanding the Arab culture will become even more valuable for American businesses seeking to tap that growing market. According to Al -bab.com, a website that aims to introduce non-Arabs to Arabs and their culture, Arabic is considered one of the super languages along with English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish, as these are the languages spoken by the vast majority of the world population. listed as one of the official languages of the UN and spoken by over 280 million people, Arabic is an official language in 22 countries, including israel. it is at least as useful – if not more so – than French, which is currently being offered as an elective language in some community schools. Dr. Shlomo Alon, head of Arabic and islamic Education in israel’s Ministry of Education, in defense of the ministry’s decision to mandate the study of Arabic, states, “Studying Arabic will promote tolerance and convey acceptance,” creating a cultural bridge between Jews and Arabs. Arabic is currently taught in secular schools in israel and has become a mandatory part of the curriculum in northern cities. Dr. Alon explained that this policy is rooted in the Ministry’s understanding that knowledge of the Arabic language is vital for people who wish to live in the region in coexistence with Arab neighbors. “it provides jobs for Arab teachers,” he says. “The Arab school system is overflowing with teachers, and this helps ease the pressure. When an Arab teacher becomes part of the school and, by extension, part of the community, it helps to show that the differences are not as great as we may believe, and that the commonalities are greater than the differences.” Closer to home, Arabic instruction can play a vital part in promoting unity within the community. Not only will youngsters have a means to develop better rapport with the older generation but the community at large will benefit from closer interaction with the Arabic speaking segment of our community. Arabic is Alien The Arabic language is not part of our heritage; it was simply the language spoken in the countries in which our ancestors lived. it is not to the Sephardic community, what Yiddish is to the Ashkenazim. That distinction belongs to ladino, a language blend of Spanish and Hebrew, which has Sephardic roots dating back to the Jewish communities in Spain. Furthermore, peaceful coexistence through embracing a common culture is an illusory dream. immersion in the Arabic language and, by extension, Arabic culture, does nothing but promote assimilation. in Germany, the Jews in the so called enlightenment, embraced the culture of their host country and adopted their language. of course, as we all know, this tragic movement did not protect nor endear the Jews to anyone. The overwhelming majority of Jews from Arab countries have been expelled, either in fact or in spirit, over the past three-quarters century. When our ancestors were expelled from 15th century in Spain, they did not try to maintain the distinctly un-Jewish Spanish language or heritage. Why should we aim to maintain that of the Arab countries which rejected us? Neither is there an economic reason to learn Arabic. in his article entitled “is learning Arabic a Good Career Move?” William Halsey, MA from the University of Paris-Sorbonne in Classics, concludes that “Arabic is not a useful second language and the study of Arabic should not be undertaken lightly. if a young person wants to study Arabic, he or she should understand that just knowing a little Arabic is useless from a professional point of view. in order to communicate effectively, a student must learn written Arabic that he needs to read the newspaper, and spoken Arabic which is quite different from the written form. in effect he is learning two separate languages.” Arabic also has regional differences that – although not as pronounced as they were before the TV era – still form major dialects that are largely mutually incomprehensible, like the many dialects of Chinese. in opposition to some who think that Arab lands will become the most important global market, Colin Campbell, chief geologist for Amoco, asserts that oil reserves in the Middle East are being depleted and production is on the decline. one school of thought says that all these countries will run out of oil within the lifetime of someone currently in his or her twenties, thereby eliminating the need to do business with the Arabic speaking population. Therefore it seems clear that the time and effort of our youth would be better spent learning a language that was more culturally significant, like ladino; economically valuable, like Chinese; or locally popular, like Spanish. Scan the QR code at right with your mobile device or visit http://survey.communitym.com Ten second survey. Tell us what you think. eLuL 5771 SePtemBeR 2011 35