Hebrewthe language of the Old Testament which had survived as the medium of prayer and religious study. but which had virtually disappeared from secular usebecame once again the vernacular of Israel. Israel did. and continues to do. much more than simply declare Hebrew to be the countrys common language. The Israelis put In place an infrastructure to ensure that each and every immigrant will be able to speak this common tongue to his or her new countrymen. and thus become quickly integrated into Israeli society. New arrivals. whatever their age. are strongly encouraged to take an ulpan. the intensive Hebrewlanguage course typically taught by the immersion method. As soon as possible after their arrival. immigrant children are placed in regular Hebrewspeaking classrooms. and given extra Hebrewlanguage instruction to help them catch up with their classmates. Those arriving to take degrees at Israels universities must prove their Hebrew proficiency before graduation. even if their degrees are in subjectssuch as French. Russian. or Englishthat may be taught in their mother tongues. Just as in America. those immigrants who arrive later in life Inevitably remain more comfortable with their mother tongue. And just as in America. the culture and society of Israel is hospitable to such people: The Israeli press the fold of American society. nothing is done includes newspapers published in German. to help their kids. Thats why dozens of Latino Russian.
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immigrant immigrants