Students Study Arabic

For over 60 years people in the Middle East have been fighting over land. The fight goes far beyond a clash of cultures; it is an issue rooted in ancient history.

But a small group of high school students from New York City are seeking an unusual way to change all that; with a language class.

Six students at the SAR Yeshivah high School in the Orthodox Bronx neighbourhood of Riverdale approached the principal asking for a class in Arabic be added to the school’s curriculum. Today there are four classes offered. Many of the students who attend the classes are seeking a way to form a bridge with the Arab communities surrounding Israel. In learning the language one also learns a culture.

While learning Arabic is by no means a simple task, the Yeshivah students have a bit of a break in that they already know Hebrew with some of the words being similar and they read Aramaic when they study Talmud which is the language Arabic is based on. Aramaic is considered a dead language since it is no longer spoken by a people but it is the language that was spoken in the time of Jesus.