A course has recently begun in Knesset to teach Members of Knesset Arabic. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein praises the initiative. Arab Members of Knesset also praised the concept.
MKs taking the class at present include:
Likud
Nurit Koren,
Sharren Haskel,
Machane Tzioni
Tzipi Livni
Amir Peretz
Nachman Shai
Yael Cohen-Paran
Emanuel Trajtenberg
Stav Sapir
Yitzchak Shmueli
Hilik Bar
Kulanu
Elie Elalouf
Meirav Ben-Ari
Michael Oren
Roy Folkman
Ofir Shelach
Aliza Lavie
Mickey Levi
Yael German
Meir Cohen
Bayit Yehudi
Betzalel Smotrich
Shas
Meshulam Nahari
Yoav Ben-Tzur
Yahadut Hatorah
Yisrael Eichler
Yisrael Beitenu
Oded Forer
Tamar Zandberg
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Arabic they gladly learn. Torah they don’t learn. Is it any wonder then that Israel is fouled up?
lkwdmama: An interesting point you’re raising. How much effort have the Torah observant MKs made to interest their secular colleagues in learning Torah, putting it to them in terms they’ll find attractive. It might do a lot of good.
Actually, Ibelieve that MK Yair Lapid has a gemorrah chavrusa with a rabbi.
Arabic is an official language in Israel. It makes sense that MKs be given an opportunity to learn it.
#1: There are at least three chareidi MKs on this list who I’m sure learn Torah. There are valid reasons for wanting to learn Arabic and there is no reason people given the opportunity shouldn’t avail themselves of it.