A few years ago, in the kibbutz dining room, the children were very excited. A few priests and nuns came in and I didn't understand what the commotion was about. The children's eyes were riveted. I couldn't help but ask, "What's so special about them? Is there any celebrity there?" And the answer I received silenced me. My friend's daughter told me, "We've never seen a real nun!" How is that possible? I asked myself with the childishness of someone who still hasn't understood that living in a mixed city is not common property. Walk around Haifa and you're guaranteed that on an almost daily basis you'll encounter priests, nuns, and even a sheikh, and that's a given.
I am beginning to understand more and more how unique it is to grow up in Haifa. Especially when it comes to Hebrew and Arabic. In addition to hearing and learning Arabic at home, we also heard the language outside, whether it was in stores, in Hadar, in the lower city, or while wandering around Wadi Nisnas. To this day, I go shopping once a month in the wadi. I start at the bakery, then at the grocery store, and sometimes I go for falafel at Michel's. My mother, who lived a long and good life, lived with her family on Caesarea Street after they left the transit camp. Sometimes I walk there and try to imagine her talking to the people on the street. I wrote a little about it in my book the bride of the sea, the last part of which takes place in Haifa.
The years have passed and Arabic is not heard around me as it used to be. Not only because of its absence on the kibbutz but because of its absence from the space in general. I used to be able to say words or phrases and they would understand them, and today I have to explain, if I say anything at all. The languages exist within me, Hebrew, English, Arabic, and a few more that I acquired along the way, like Spanish. But Arabic has no audience and I am left with a longing for the language, the culture, for my father's brother, remember him with blessing and for his voice tonight when he sang those songs.
I actually came across this book by Yousef Haddad Following my thesis path. As part of my master's degree in cultural studies, I decided to write a thesis on the subject of the Arabic language in Israel. I am just at the beginning, a research question is starting to take shape these days, and what characterizes the research phase is reading many articles and also books. A dear friend, who is familiar with my subject, sent me a photo of the first chapter of his book Let me explain. And its name is: Don't be sorry, learn Arabic. I asked for and received it as a holiday gift from my beloved family, and pretty quickly I dived into the mind of the one who became our information messenger inside and outside the network.
For 206 pages, I let Yousef Haddad explain to me, and let me tell you, he's pretty good at explaining, probably like he does Hasbara with grace. Towards the end of the book, I came to understand, "Why are you doing this to yourself?" I couldn't understand how a person could make himself a target for so many people who are interested in silencing his unique voice. But, by God, I understood. Here is a hybrid product of the kind that can only be created in Israel, and perhaps one could say, only in Haifa. Of course, given his unique family and his listening to his inner voice amidst the noise of our lives here in Israel and around the globe, which for some reason has been striving for extremes in recent years.
The book fascinated me. In addition to the fact that the content is interesting and probably topical, I liked the short and precise chapters, without saying any kind of exhausting "roundabouts". Haddad does not seek to twist things, he writes clearly and manages to convey his train of thought with interesting simplicity. In this sense, he will probably be less integrated (if he chooses) into politics, or who knows, as I was impressed with him, he will probably bring a breath of fresh air as a politician with clear messages.
This column appears the week of Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Haddad dedicates an entire chapter to it, "Arabs Against Anti-Semitism." He says that on Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020, he went with a delegation of 30 Arabs to Poland.We started in Krakow, where we visited the factory of Oskar Schindler, Righteous Among the Nations. As non-Jews, we were able to connect with his character – a non-Jewish man who decided to save Jewish lives while risking his own life… We held a memorial ceremony in Arabic on the grounds of Auschwitz, with translated testimonies. We made sure to commemorate it and broadcast it to the Arab world." (Ep. 58-59).
They even insisted and joined the March of the Living where he promised a Holocaust survivor Edward Mossberg, "That we do everything we can to continue to instill the memory of the Holocaust in the Arab world. A few months later he passed away. We had the honor of marching with him and accompanying him in his last parade, and the promise I made to him there I will continue to keep." (p. 59). This chapter alone demonstrates how unique his perception and the path he takes are.
Regarding the question whether remaining או loose From My Private Library – Let Me Explain by Youssef Haddad Will remain On my bookshelf. I felt while reading Haddad's book that within it, as I experience within myself, Arabic alongside Hebrew create a sentence that somehow works. Of course, he manages to bring out both languages beautifully, and that's something I appreciate and want him to stay with me. But before he goes on the shelf, there's already a reading list of those interested. The place will be waiting for him after he's done a tour of a few other houses.
Book details:
Let me explain by: Youssef Haddad, Yedioth Books Publishing, 2025.
Pleasant reading and may good words be by your side always,
Lily
Let me explain: "Arabic alongside Hebrew create a sentence that somehow works out."
The magical Lily, how the words roll onto your screen!
It's great fun to find time to relax, indulge, and read your column (even if it's a week later).
I hope that in a year I will wish you congratulations on a written thesis tied with a yellow ribbon as a birthday present 💛
Amen my dear friend 🙌🏼
I'm realistic, so on my next birthday, I can expect my thesis proposal to be approved and I'm fine with that 🙏🏼
May good days be upon us and thank you for always being a part of my birthday in one way or another🩵
When will you come to Afula to sign the book? We are waiting for you.
Yosef, when will you arrive in Afula and have a book signing ceremony? We are waiting for you.
Shabbat Shalom. In my opinion, the children on the kibbutz have benefited from living in a homogeneous and safe environment. In the kibbutzim, there are admission committees. In Haifa, the situation is bleak, with migration from the villages and cities of the north to many neighborhoods in the city, even those that were not involved in the first place and there are no admission committees. And year after year, and also due to demographics, I see quite a few of our couples leaving for the satellite cities. Sad.
Speaking of the language you miss, I'm worried about an apocalyptic scenario in which future generations will miss hearing Hebrew in many neighborhoods in Haifa or seeing people wearing a kippah or visiting Jewish synagogues. In the hope of better days.
As for Yosef Haddad, whom the media so flatters and who gave a reading recommendation here, it should be remembered and mentioned that his opinions are in a negligible minority among his people, and most of them probably think of him what we think of Ofer Kassif, so he does not really represent a people, but rather himself.
And more importantly, I think schools and the media, and also through you as an excellent educator from a respectable family who meets with children and people who love to hear you, need to raise awareness and the danger of assimilation. Speaking of the partner of that "hero," it's worrying that we praise (and rightly so) his work and military service but are afraid to criticize at the same time, and more importantly, explain to the younger generation the problematic nature and danger of our daughters' assimilation with those who are not of our people.
May each of us give our little bit of ourselves in promoting respect for our heritage and religion, thanks to which we were also able to return to our country.
Thank you very much for your words, Zipporah,
And most of all, thank you for writing them in a respectful manner, which encourages discussion and does not alienate as you often see online, and in general.
The things I can relate to are only related to what I experience and/or know from some facts.
Regarding kibbutz life, and I really like the community and the people as individuals. But you should probably know that admissions committees do not prevent the “normal” problems that a society faces – and that goes far beyond religious differences. Where I live, difficult things have happened that did not happen in my childhood neighborhood in Haifa. A kibbutz is another interesting and unique way of life for Israel, but it does not take away from the uniqueness of places like Haifa and is not necessarily better than it, and unfortunately, I wish I could say that there is better protection for our children in this place, but that would simply be untrue.
As for Yosef Haddad, since he referred to his fiancée in the book, then they do share the same religion, and Emily is the daughter of a Christian mother. Personally, I don't get into religious and racial nitpicking with others, but since you raised the point, then it becomes necessary to answer.
And in the context of the fact that Yosef Haddad is unique in his perception and way, I see this as a bright spot and not a commemoration of the darkness of the bitter taste of shared life. There are so many noble stories that being exposed to a story that grows did me good and even a little hope.
And finally, the longing for the Arabic language, I believe I am not alone in this and in seeing it – there are groups upon groups that try and preserve and revive the language and culture of their parents’ home. Arabic is not only an enemy language. In my opinion, they made a mistake even before the establishment of the state when they forbade the unfortunate immigrants from Germany to give up their language just because it was an enemy language at the time. In all, according to their testimony, they also took away memories and a culture that was a comfort to them.
It's clear to me that the situation is so complex, we are a multitude of different people, cultures, and languages - thank you for making this discussion possible and bringing your point of view here.
Have a good and blessed Shabbat.
Hi, I'm not familiar with the demographic and immigration problems in Haifa that you're referring to, but I can attest to myself that as a young man in my 20s, I moved from Kiryat Yam to Haifa (my family is originally from Haifa) largely because Haifa is a heterogeneous and not homogeneous city and I've always liked it for this reason, among other reasons. In my opinion, this is a positive thing and not a negative thing. I don't think there's any shortage of domes or synagogues in the city, and in any case, each city has its own unique character. I think the assimilation phenomenon is really not as loud as it has been in recent years, based on how I experience the country. The most important thing about immigration is that the people who come are civilized, polite, and kind to others. I think Haifa is overall okay in this regard.