Learning Hebrew in One Month

Over the past two years, a large course has been held at the "Michve Alon" training base to help Bedouin and Druze soldiers learn Hebrew. However, there are several soldiers who enlist before the course begins or still have difficulty learning the language after the course. Therefore, the Central Command decided to open a special Hebrew course for these soldiers, one that would help them integrate better into the army and in Israeli society as a whole after their release.

This new course is one month long and by the end, Bedouin soldiers will be reading and writing in Hebrew. Although most of the Bedouin soldiers speak Hebrew, many of them have never been in school and can’t read or write. "Most of our Bedouins come from small villages in the south, sometimes from places that can’t even be found on the map," explains Sergeant Major Anwar, one of the course commanders. "The capabilities they bring with them from the field contribute significantly to the war on terror and they are undoubtedly some of the best detectives. Even with their strong operational capabilities, however, they must bridge social gaps and learn the county’s language."

"Learning Hebrew will help them significantly in their military service, but this is not the only goal of the course," explains Sergeant Major Anwar. “Hebrew is something they encounter every day in the streets, on the telephone, in meetings, and is a necessary skill to find work in the country. That's why we're doing everything we can for these soldiers to help them learn the language well and be a significant part of society."

The special four week course, which is being held at the Central Command headquarters, is designed to teach the fundamentals of the Hebrew language, from learning the alphabet to reading and writing.

"It's important to understand that most of the Bedouin soldiers were never in a classroom setting," explained Lieutenant Michal. "Therefore, the instructors teach Bedouin soldiers using unique methods of study. The soldiers know how to speak Hebrew and recognize the sounds, so we start by teaching them the letters according to the sound each letter makes. We can then teach them whole words by breaking them up into syllables".'

"We work with the soldiers in a focused and intensive way in order to give them all the tools they need," continues Lt. Michal. "It's not simple to teach Hebrew in one month. This is educational material that we ourselves learned for an entire year in elementary school. "

"The soldiers tell us that the course helps them and that they feel they have made significant progress," said Sergeant Major Anwar, one of the course's commanders. “In addition,” he added, “this course encourages the recruitment of more Bedouin soldiers to the IDF. They join the IDF on their own initiative, but they find comfort and appreciate how much the IDF invests in them. Many of them share their experiences with families and friends which encourage more Bedouins to join the army."

"One of the soldiers said that his dream is to start a business in Israel, so it's important for him to learn the Hebrew language," said Lieutenant Michal.

Sgt. Maj. Anwar concluded, "None of the soldiers believed that they would reach such a high Hebrew level in such a short amount of time. Many of them feel that the army is opening their eyes to a whole new world they never knew existed. Now they will be able to fully participate in society after their army service, integrate into the Israeli work force, and establish a home in Israel."