Jerusalem schools begin teaching spoken Arabic to reduce east-west divide

The Jerusalem Municipality has launched a new Arabic-language education program, which will see 30 schools across the city begin to teach Arabic to Jewish students this schoolyear.

The program — named Ahlan, an Arabic greeting also used by many Hebrew speakers — will be taught by 50 Arabic-speaking university students currently studying education. It will be overseen by Madrasa, an organization that promotes spoken Arabic among Jewish Israelis.

According to Madrasa’s website, 95 percent of Jewish Israelis have no ability to communicate in Arabic, though 22% of Israel’s total population are native Arabic speakers.

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