1.

"Come speak with Darya's class," Hadas, the teacher, told me. "Share some life advice as they finish elementary school." The "Bereshit" school in Rehovot insists on calling itself an "educational home." And what a year they've had; such young students whose learning and play were interspersed with existential issues.

This week, Darya told me her generation has experienced more pandemics, wars, and alarms in their young lives than other generations. She stated it as fact, not complaint. In our conversations, I've noticed a historical awareness growing within her ("In thirty years, I'll tell my children that fields once stood where we walked"). I looked at her, wondering how to respond to a child with adult insights. You know, I said, it's precisely this thought that encourages me and assures me your generation will be better than ours – more resilient, unique, and profound. You will build the next floor of our lives here in the treasured land of our forefathers.

2.

I entered the classroom. The boys arrived breathless from their games while the girls sat with inner calm. I asked them to try to retain some of my words for the coming years. Words are seeds that need time to blossom and bear fruit. Perhaps you'll remember me decades from now, just as I recall something from finishing elementary school, right before leaving my childhood neighborhood, which until then seemed a distant star, to study at the Junior High Kiryat Ya'akov Herzog, an institution I can only liken to Harry Potter's Hogwarts...

You stand before the great sea of your lives, I told the children. It will not part on its own; it awaits your entry. The sea is deep, its depths filled with treasures, challenges, and dreams. Dangers also lurk there. We adults stand on the opposite shore, seeking to guide and warn you from our experience. You will face obstacles and difficulties. You may resent and rage against your fate. But you can view hardships as challenges meant to improve and build you. The difficulty will be the same, but your interpretation will determine how you overcome it and grow from it.

I still remember a classmate who played marbles and cards with me. I was privileged to soar while he remained on life's margins. One day I heard an explosive was planted on his scooter and he was killed. Gang warfare. The news shook me. I thought of our innocent starting line and the deceptive blink of an eye in which our fates could have been reversed under different circumstances. Not everything depends on adults or society, dear children; an important part of your destiny depends on you.

3.

It's vital to stay in constant motion, not rest on your laurels but to walk, not be lazy, to gather knowledge, ideas, friends, experiences, taking something from each station for the journey ahead. This is the first commandment given to Abraham, our forefather: "Go forth..." If we keep going, we ultimately reach the good land. The second commandment is Abrahamic: "Do not make for yourself an idol..." – don't turn yourself into a statue, don't become enamored with yourself, and think you know everything with nothing to learn from others. Remember Narcissus? Yes, some answered (Darya is now also discovering Greek mythology). He fell in love with himself when he saw his reflection in the river, closing himself off and missing out on life. So be sure to stay in motion and look around you. Be curious.

An important condition for success in life is the desire for knowledge. In physics, there is a law of conservation of energy. In education, there is a law of conservation of knowledge. No information you've learned will fail to serve you someday. You sit in a classroom, so even if you're bored, make an effort and listen, use the time to add more knowledge to your repository. Read books; it's the best gift you can give yourself. Whoever turns off the phone on Shabbat will be forced to read, even if they don't want to, like in the old days. Study the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat; this way the Bible will be part of who you are.

I told them the Quran calls us "Ahl al-Kitab," People of the Book, because of the Bible. But we are the People of the Books. We received the Torah, then came the Prophets and Writings, and in the second century, Rabbi Judah the Prince wrote the Mishnah. In subsequent centuries the Talmuds were written in Israel and Babylon, then Biblical commentaries in the Middle Ages, the Zohar, legal rulings, philosophy, and countless other books, until we erected a colossal skyscraper unmatched by any other nation for its descendants. Each generation added its own floor to the multidimensional edifice, and you, dear children, have the right to visit any floor you wish. Don't miss the opportunity; after all, you already speak the language.

4.

Study history. This way you will remember throughout your long journey where we came from and where we wish to go. I told them when we adopted the word in Hebrew, some spelled it "historyah," meaning God (Yah) concealing (Hester) himself behind national and global events and directing them. Soon we will reach the 9th of Av and commemorate the first destruction (586 BCE) and the second (70 CE). The Jews in the first exile despaired; they thought it was the end of Israel and there would be no continuity in the next generation. "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, we are cut off." But the prophet Ezekiel insists "our hope is not yet lost." He tells them of a tremendous historical vision God showed him: A valley full of dry bones turning into a multitude representing our people. And he promises that God will open our graves and return us home to the Land of Israel.

In the 1880s, a Hebrew poet in Romania wrote to his generation that as long as a Jewish soul stirs in our hearts, and as long as our eyes gaze eastward toward Zion, our hope to return to our ancestral homeland is not lost. I don't remember if they knew the poet's name, so I repeated it: Naftali Herz Imber. You understand, I told them, our national anthem corresponds with Ezekiel's prophecy. Indeed, our hope was not lost, and at the end of a long, painful process we came home to Zion. And from national history, we learn for our private lives: Even if you find yourselves in difficult situations later on, do not lose hope. Your redemption awaits just around the corner.

5.

"Dad," Darya whispered to me afterward, "two kids told me you could have spoken faster, and you repeated things." Honest children. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength, because of Thine adversaries; that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger (Pslams 8:3)" You're right, my daughter, because I understand the gravity of the task assigned to me and the importance of this conversation. I acted according to the eternal command "teach them to your children" (Deuteronomy 11:19 ) –  sons and daughters – hoping something of my words will be seared into the memory of one child, provisions for the road ahead, just as I remember to this day the kind eyes of my parents and teachers accompanying me, just before we entered the great sea of our lives.

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In a brightly lit classroom in Gaza, a teacher spells out Hebrew words on a whiteboard, followed attentively by Maher Al-Farra and dozens of other Palestinians hoping to take advantage of an opening up of employment opportunities in Israel.

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Increased demand for the classes at the Nafha languages center follows a new offer of work permits by Israel as it has moved to calm border tensions following Operation Guardian of the Walls against Hamas infrastructure in May 2021.

It now offers 10,000 permits allowing Gaza residents to cross the border to work in Israel – a  new source of income to a region where 64% of the population is estimated to live in poverty and unemployment runs at 50%.

Ahmed Al-Faleet, the center's owner, said the number of people enlisted to learn Hebrew has increased four-fold to reach 160 students per course since Israel began giving work permits in the last quarter of 2021.

Video: Reuters

"These courses allow anyone who gets a permit to read signs, documents written in Hebrew, and communicate with [soldiers] on Israeli checkpoints. If an employer speaks only Hebrew it enables the worker to deal with him," he told Reuters.

Some 2.3 million Gazans live in the narrow coastal strip, largely unable to leave to seek work abroad. Gaza also borders Egypt, which imposes its own restrictions on crossings.

Before the Second Intifada erupted in 2000, some 130,000 Gazans worked in Israel. Palestinians said Israel had in 2005 barred laborers after pulling troops and settlers from Gaza.

No one expects the cautious increase in the number of work permits to end the long-running conflict between Israel and Hamas.

But for the dozens of workers and merchants enrolled in the class at Nafha, the change offers the prospect of earning, in Israel, the equivalent of a week's wages in Gaza.

"I came here today to learn Hebrew so I can handle things at my work inside [Israel] easily," Farra told Reuters.

Head of the IDF's Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, Col. Moshe Tetro, said the new jobs would improve Gaza's economy and "would also serve calm and security stability."

Eassam Daalis, a senior Hamas official, said Israel was eventually expected to offer 30,000 work permits, which economists say could allow workers to earn an average of 500 shekels ($156) a day, equivalent to what some can earn a week working in Gaza.

"Every week I go back home happy to my family with 2,000 shekels [$625]. I also give to my mother and my father," said Jamil Abdallah, 31, from Jabalya in northern Gaza.

Gaza economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab noted that the offer of permits was one of a series of economic steps agreed under a political settlement brokered by Egyptian, Qatari and United Nations negotiators following Operation Guardian of the Walls.

"These are not unilateral Israeli initiatives," he said.

With tensions brewing over clashes between Jewish and Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, the situation could change quickly.

Israel has tied the offer of more openness to improved security following May's war and has accused Hamas of investing in building its fighting capabilities rather than resolving the humanitarian problems facing Gaza.

"If the security situation remains stable and calm the state of Israel would open up more and more," said Tetro.

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Pop diva and Eurovision winner Dana International has recorded dozens of songs in several different languages, but she never thought she'd wind up singing the Hebrew alphabet, the singer said of her new single "Ivrit, Ahuvati" (Hebrew, My Love), which she has recorded as part of a new campaign to encourage aliyah.

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"After we finished recording, I was asked to teach a lesson via Zoom, but I think I'll pass on that. I'm really not cut out to be a teacher," she said.

The World Zionist Organization's Aliyah Promotion Department operates aliyah preparation centers in the Americas and in western Europe that teach future immigrants basic Hebrew. The department runs over 300 Hebrew classes a year in which some 4,000 students are enrolled.

"Hebrew, My Love" is a song that celebrates the Hebrew classes and is designed to encourage a sense of solidarity among the teachers and students, as well as encourage aliyah.

The song was composed by Guy Mensch, with words by Yoav Ginai, and in additional to Dana International's lead vocals feature the voices of students and teachers from the WZO's Hebrew classes around the globe.

The song officially debuted at the President's Residence in Jerusalem in a live performance on Sunday, which marked the birthday of Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the father of modern Hebrew. President Isaac Herzog and acting chairman of the Jewish Agency Yaakov Hagoel were both there, as was head of the WZO's Aliyah Promotion Department, Marina Rosenberg-Koritny.

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So what if the Israeli-Moroccan normalization agreement is not officially part of the Abraham Accords? In practice, the deal is no different. Ties between Rabat and Jerusalem were renewed within the same window of opportunity that opened up in September 2020.

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A particularly fascinating outcome of the agreement is the Muslim Moroccans' interest to learn Hebrew.

"We receive a lot of inquiries about Hebrew courses from individuals who want to learn the language, simply because Moroccans love languages and are known polyglots," said Einat Levi, a political and economic consultant at Israel's diplomatic mission in Rabat. "Business owners and service providers also express interest in learning Hebrew, because they understand that there is an economic opportunity for them" in Israel.

One can also see more signs in Hebrew across the markets and old cities of Morocco put up by local residents and shop vendors who are excited about the return of Israeli tourists.

In the Jewish quarter of the port city of Essaouira, which used to boast a thriving Jewish community, the local pharmacy now also displays a sign in Hebrew.

"The sign in Hebrew is a symbol of cultural renewal, invitation, and testimony to the close connection between culture and tourism, and more than that – it has an assertion of belonging," Levi said.

Tourism forecasts predict that hundreds of thousands of Israelis will visit Morocco each year, and expect Moroccan tourists to do the same in Israel. As such, Rabat is planning to launch Hebrew-learning courses for local tour guides as well as a new master's degree program at the International Institute of Tourism of Tangiers that would combine studies of Hebrew and Jewish heritage sites in Morocco.

Another interesting development is that Moroccan King Mohamed VI's coronation day in July was marked in Israel for the first time this year, in Yokneam, Acre, Netanya, Dimona, and elsewhere.

And although in the past, Israelis had no problem traveling to Morocco, and were even welcomed, when it came to official events – such as festivals and conferences – organizers were discouraged from inviting Israelis due to fear of criticism from the public and anti-Israel groups.

"Now the situation is different," Levi said. "There is a strong and clear official connection, and it makes it easier to conduct open and public Israeli activity in Morocco. This allows many Israelis of Moroccan descent to feel more complete."

Eyal Biram, CEO of Israel-is – an organization that connects young Israelis with millennials from around the world in order to converse with them about Israel, and to fight antisemitism – noted that "when we signed the Abraham Accords, Morocco was a little bit different than the project we conducted in the United Arab Emirates.

"The goal of the project, which we partnered in, is to bring young people from the Arab world to Israel, and it would not have been possible to do it without the Jewish angle. Morocco is an expression of the new-old Israeli story. From the aspiration of [becoming a] melting pot, we moved to the desire of many young Israelis to embrace their identities and cultures and formulate a new-old story for themselves."

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Pop legend Madonna is sporting a new tattoo, in Hebrew, no less.

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On Sunday, Madonna posted a picture of herself in her tattoo parlor of choice and showed of her wrist, which bore a newly-inked tattoo of the Hebrew word "Ve'yishakhu."

In an accompanying video clip, Madonna explains to her daughter that the word means "kiss" in Hebrew.

But Hebrew has a word for kiss ("neshika"), and that is not what the singer's tattoo says. "Ve'yishakhu" is taken from a verse of the Book of Genesis. When Jacob leaves Haran, he is afraid of encountering his brother Esau, so divides his camp of followers into two. When the brothers meet, the Bible says, "Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." (Genesis 33:4)

Not only can "Ve'yishakhu" be literally translated as "and kissed him," rather than the simple noun for "kiss," but this verse is also interpreted as indicating that Esau's heart was not behind the kiss he bestowed on Jacob. In fact, "Esau hates Jacob" is a saying used to express the sense that other nations will always hate the Jews.

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A small group of Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem, a city of political, religious, and cultural divisions, is trying to bridge a Hebrew-Arabic language gap through learning modeled on speed dating.

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About 20 students meet weekly at a 19th-century villa and sitting together, Jew facing Arab, they practice each other's language, guided by cards spelling out simple scenarios that prompt dialogue.

When a whistle sounds every 20 minutes, participants rotate with new partners across tables arranged under colorful murals.

The encounters – quick and cordial, if sometimes awkward – help the Palestinians to improve the Hebrew required for dealing with Israeli authorities and the Jews to deepen their grasp of Arabic.

Most Palestinians in Jerusalem live in its eastern sector, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Only basic Hebrew is studied in east Jerusalem schools, making it difficult for Palestinians to achieve advanced proficiency.

"And it's the same for Israelis – if they do study Arabic, it's an Arabic you can't use," said Maya Giz, a Hebrew teacher, referring to the classical, and not commonly spoken, version of the language.

Giz, who initiated the project in 2019 with Sahar Mukhemar, a Palestinian sports instructor and a former student of hers, says the language exercises are a "crossing of a mental border" between the two peoples.

She said Palestinians and Israelis taking part in the program share "the same embarrassment of talking and... [can] break this barrier of fear together."

Jamila Khouri, a Palestinian, said learning Hebrew could help her and others "merge well in the community and find a job opportunity in a good field."

Jewish participant Eli Benita said the language learning spoke volumes about coexistence in a city where tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict sometimes spill over into violence.

"I see that this is the only way to reach some kind of a peaceful routine of life here in this region we live in," he said.

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Shortly after Google's voice assistant began partially speaking Hebrew, now Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, has begun learning the language.

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Alexa currently offers translations from English to Hebrew on Amazon devices. If you ask Alexa whether it understands Hebrew, it tells you it still does not but invites the user to use its new translation service.

The translation is generated in a flowing, fluent manner and voice, rather than robotically, as the video below shows.

In recent years – albeit belatedly – Amazon has begun showing a far greater interest in Israeli consumers. It launched its Amazon Prime Video service in Israel, including the translation of shows and movies to Hebrew, and it also offers a complete user interface in Hebrew. Its online shopping service is also available in Hebrew.

Despite these welcome developments, however, Israeli consumers can't help but feel disappointed that the Alexa application is not available at the local app stores, and consumers who want to purchase it need to do so indirectly.

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As the High Holidays approach, the National Library of Israel is displaying a 550-year-old printed Selichot prayer book that is believed to have been printed by a woman in Italy.

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The first printed Hebrew books, produced at the end of the 15^th century, were mostly study tests, but one daring printer decided to move forward and print prayer books, as well. His name was Rabbi Meshulam Kuzi, and he founded a small printing business in the Italian town Piove di Sacco.

Kuzi printed his texts in stunning "Ashkenazi letters" and intended to publish many books, but his business published only two – a book on Jewish law and commandments, and the Selichot prayers, in an Ashkenazi version.

According to the National Library of Israel, "This Selichot prayer book is effectively the first Hebrew prayer book ever printed, around 1475."

Another interesting aspect of the book is the role women played in its production. Curator of the National Library's Judaica collection. Dr. Yoel Finkelman, explains that Rabbi Meshulam's wife is believed to have been active in publishing the work.

"We know that Rabbi Meshulam passed away before it was published, and his widow, Devorah, completed the work," Finkelman notes.

"Because the precise date of the publication of the Selichot prayer is unclear, it's very possible that Devorah might have finished the work on it … It's clear that Devorah was familiar with the printing process, and it's likely that she helped her husband while he was alive," Finkelman says.

The pages of this copy of the book include evidence it was used by at least two other Ashkenazi women, who made notes about their husbands. On the first page appears a sentence signed "Mrs. Esther, daughter of Rabbi Asher," which was apparently written not long after the book was published.

"The owner of a book must write his name on it, so no one can come and make claim to it, saying 'It is mine," Mrs. Esther wrote.

Another woman wrote her name on one of the last pages, a few hundred years later.

"We know nothing about these two women, but it appears that saying Selichot before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur was of particular importance to them. As we can see, the Christian censor worked to erase sentences that debated with Christianity or mocked it, but in the margins we can see the work of cantors and worshippers who added the missing words," Finkelman says.

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Acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino arrived in Israel with his wife Daniella Pick and son Leo shortly before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, on what was supposed to be a short visit. But this turned into more than a year.

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Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Tarantino said that the Jewish state was "the country that handled COVID best," and this allowed him to fly back to the United States in recent days to promote his new novel "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" based on his 2019 film of the same name.

In his interview, he spoke about his de facto relocation that had been imposed on him due to the global contagion. "The idea was that we would spend 3-4 months in Tel Aviv and 3-4 months in Los Angeles, and then COVID hit. I would rather not have been out of my own country against my will for a year. However, if I'm going to be in another country, the country that handled COVID the best is probably the best country to be in," he said.

When asked whether his son Leo, who was named after Pick's grandfather, was speaking already, Tarantino said: "He is talking, they are not necessarily words. He can only say one word, and that is "aba," which is the Hebrew word for "Dada." And a third of the time, he means me."

Is Tarantino himself learning Hebrew? "I've learned a lot of words," he said. "I haven't learned enough to actually carry on a conversation or string anything but a perfunctory sentence together. But, I'm actually learning a lot with Leo, because he watches these baby TV kind of things, and it's all in Hebrew... So I am learning the Sesame Street version of Hebrew."

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In yet another sign of the burgeoning relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, WAM, the official news agency of the UAE, recently launched a news site in Hebrew. The Hebrew-language news outlet is the first of its kind in the UAE and the Persian Gulf in general, and covers current affairs, news and provides information on a number of subjects. The site is partnered with Israeli news agency Tazpit Press Service (TPS).

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In addition to the partnership deal with WAM, TPS has also entered partnerships with news agencies in Spain, Romania, Azerbaijan, Armenia and North Macedonia. TPS also works with 67 other independent news outlets that subscribe to its services in Israel and across the globe.

WAM covers local, regional and global current events 24/7 in 19 different languages. Millions of users from the Middle East and beyond visit the site every day. WAM has also launched several Hebrew-language accounts on various social media platforms.

"The new Hebrew-language news service is another phase in the implementation of the Abraham Accords signed between Gulf countries and Israel, and in the peaceful relations developing between the UAE and the State of Israel in numerous fields," said WAM CEO Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi.

Raisi added: "The service in Hebrew was launched with the encouragement and support of all the Emirati leaders comprising the UAE to highlight the importance of the Abraham Accords' achievements."

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