National Hebrew Day – WZO

National Hebrew Day

Today we celebrate National Hebrew Day that is actually the anniversary of the passing of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda was Lithuania-born visionary who turned an ancient Hebrew language into a spoken one. Interesting facts about the Hebrew language: Hebrew is a Semitic language. Hebrew was originally spoken by the Israelites. The oldest records of written Hebrew date between 1200BC and 587BC, including the Bible. There is an estimated 9 million Hebrew speakers across the world. Hebrew is mainly spoken in Israel with 90% of Israeli Jews and 60% of Israeli Arabs being proficient, and the United States has the second largest Hebrew-speaking population. Hebrew was nearly extinct by Late Antiquity. Hebrew survived as the liturgical language of Judaism in the Middle Ages. It was only during the 19th century that Hebrew was revived as an everyday language. Its standardised form became Modern Hebrew. Hebrew has many tongue twisters. Many English words borrowed from Hebrew are related to religion. Examples of Hebrew loanwords include behemoth, cherub, hallelujah, kosher, leviathan, jacket, Jesuit, jockey, mazeltov, sabbatical, satanic, shibboleth and Torah. If you would like to study Hebrew you can join one of our many classes in the UK, here: https://tinyurl.com/WZOUK-HEBREW

7 Jan 2021
1 min read
1518
Recent news

Read more

New Trump order: first steps in combating anti-Semitism in universities

New Trump order: first steps in combating anti-Semitism in universities

On January 30, 2025, US President Donald Trump took a decisive step by signing an Executive Order to combat anti-Semitism.
Yom Ha’atzmaut 72

Yom Ha’atzmaut 72

The ZF, in partnership with the WZO and supported by the Jewish Agency, Masa, UJ, JNF and the Israeli Embassy, encourages you all to enjoy a ‘communal barbecue’ in the comfort and security of your own home! When?  29th April 2020 Where? Your Home The ZF, in partnership with the WZO and supported by the […]
Trump: universities involved in ‘illegal protests’ will lose their budgets

Trump: universities involved in ‘illegal protests’ will lose their budgets

On March 4, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that he would stop federal funding for universities that allow “illegal” protests.