After several years of successful activity, we recently (November 2018) launched a new educational model and website – Madrasa 2.0 – an advanced and interactive learning platform, which has already registered over 12,000 users! (March 2019).
The challenge: we simply do not know how to speak Arabic
The Arabic language is an integral part of the Middle East in general, and Israeli society in particular. Arabic is the mother tongue of 22% of the population, and many of the Jews in Israel, who come from Arab countries, have a family, cultural and historical connection to it. However, the absolute majority of Jews in Israel (95%) do not speak the language and the connection to it has eroded over the years. This reality is not accidental – the options provided in the education system for learning Arabic are very limited and focus only on literary Arabic. Thus, in a place where a language could have produced closeness and partnership, not knowing the language causes the perpetuation of disconnection, division, hostility, alienation and fear between the communities.
The vision: an Israeli company also communicates in Arabic
The ground is ripe for change. A recent study revealed that 56% of Jews in Israel believe that every Israeli should know Arabic. In recent years (especially since the project was established) there has also been a change in the field – more and more Israelis are learning Arabic independently today and it can be said that this has become a “trend”. The motivations for studying are many and varied – shared existence, affinity for Jewish-Arab heritage, improvement of work and trade interfaces, and more.
The role of a Madrasa in this reality is to form a framework for this important social process, and to turn it into a real social revolution, on the way to a society that communicates in Arabic alongside Hebrew.
The solution: Madrasa 2.0 – the new home for students of spoken Arabic in Israel
After several years of successful activity, we decided to take the project to the next level. After a successful crowdfunding campaign (170,000 NIS from 1,200 supporters) we developed infrastructure to implement an integrated operating model: an innovative techno-pedagogical platform + an active learning community on social networks and in discourse meetings across the country + strategic collaborations with parties from all sectors of Israeli society.
The Madrasa 2.0 website and our new beginner’s course were launched in November 2018 after a year of intensive research and development. The learning process was adapted to the main challenges of anyone who wants to learn a language online – firstly, the difficulty of persevering in an independent learning process and secondly – the lack of opportunities for use and practice.
The learning community of a Madrasa Big and growing all the time, and it has a central role both in the pedagogical aspect – through joint practice and study, and in the social aspect – in creating the necessary momentum for the broad social movement: over 200,000 women and men from all over the country have already been exposed to the project; 26,000 followers on the Facebook page Ours receive content and updates several times a week; Over 6,500 students are practicing and consulting members In our practice group on Facebook; 2,000 students receive content on a daily basis on WhatsApp and Telegram channels and over 6,000 subscribers receive our newsletter every month.
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גילעד סוויט, בעל תואר ראשון בסוציולוגיה, אנתרופולוגיה, ערבית ובודהיזם. מעל 15 שנה למד ערבית במסגרות שונות, בדגש על דיאלקטולוגיה (חקר להגים). ייסד את מדרסה ב2014 ומאז משמש כמנהל המקצועי וכמורה.
מורה ופרזנטורית במדרסה. בוגרת האוניברסיטה העברית, מלמדת ערבית בארה”ב ובתכנית “מדברות”. עובדת בסנונית כרכזת תחום ערבית, מתרגמת וכותבת תוכן ומנחה מורים לערבית
