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Jerusalem – Speed Dating of Languages aims to create encounters
In Jerusalem there will be a new measure in the future to break the political and cultural divisions between Israelis and Palestinians. In the so-called speed dating of languages, the Hebrew-Arabic language gap is to be bridged every 20 minutes. Maya Giz, co-founder of the project says, “Palestinians in Jerusalem don’t learn Hebrew in school, in any way. And for Israelis it’s the same – when they learn Arabic, it’s an Arabic that you can’t use. That’s why we have this Civil initiative launched that directly addresses the need to communicate in the language of the other. This is where the really important thing emerges – meeting and getting to know each other. ” The reason why Giz started the project was mainly the Hebrew language gap among the Arabs. Before she had learned Hebrew, she had felt the need among the Arabs to master the language, for example when visiting a hospital or going to a mall. This is how the language course for Jews and Arabs came about in a city that has historically been marked by political, religious and cultural rifts. The old town is divided into the Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim quarters. Jerusalem was declared its unified and indivisible capital by the Jerusalem Law in 1980 by Israel, which controls the entire city. East Jerusalem, which is home to important religious sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is being claimed by moderate Palestinian organizations as the capital of a future state.
Maya Giz, co-founder of the project, felt a great desire among Palestinians and Israelis to learn the other language.