Language & Landmarks: Israel

Shalom and welcome to Kotel (HaKotel HaMa'ara), The Western, or Wailing Wall depending on your perspective.  We are in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, a land so ancient that we first learn of it through the bible and patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Sections of this famous wall date back to King Herod the Great.  In the 19^th century BC he began work to encircle the Second Temple which had replaced Solomon’s Temple destroyed during the Babylonian Captivity.  But in 70 AD the Romans demolished the Second Temple while destroying the city and once again sending the Jewish people into exile.  The remaining wall later became a gathering place for prayer and wailing, as Jews lament the loss of the temple and the Diaspora (dispersion of Jews outside of Israel) of their people.  Inserting written prayers into crevices of the wall is a practice that dates back to the 1700’s.  Recently, fax services, websites and even “Send a Prayer”, an i-Phone application, will print out petitions and insert them into the wall in less than 48 hours!   Talk about technology and global connection!

The Israeli capital is a holy city for two other closely related, yet very distinct religions.  Muslims and Christians also attach great significance to the area at and around the wall.  In Islam the wall rests on the site where Mohammed tethered his steed and ascended to Allah.  For Christians it is from the Second Temple that Jesus drove the money changers saying that they were making the house of prayer “a den of thieves”.  These and other ideological differences are cause for conflict between the faithful in the Holy Land, as each of these religions has its own perspective about the one God whom they worship, and what He expects of his followers.

Israel’s official languages are Hebrew, spoken by over 60% of the inhabitants, and Arabic.  Yiddish is used by older Ashkenazim and Ultra-Orthodox Jews.   French is taught in schools and English is the lingua franca and required for business.  Israelis are rarely monolingual.  For hundreds of years Hebrew was only used in prayer leading to its near extinction as a spoken form.  It wasn’t until the late 19^th century that it was revived and brought into modern use.  The language is written from right to left with an alphabet very different from those in the West.  Just what variations occur in thought process, organizational ability, problem solving and observation when reading in two opposing directions?   How might this ability contribute to a global mindset?  What is your perspective on exploring another language and another culture?

– Mary Beauregard, Global LT Intercultural Consultant

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