By Benjamin Lerner

"Absolutely nothing is so important for a nation's culture as its language"

-Wilhelm von Humboldt

David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister was born in Poland; its first President was born in Russia; and its first Chief Sephardic Rabbi was born in Jerusalem. Together, they spoke a variety of languages, but it was their common religion and use of modern Hebrew that bound them together through the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

While the Zionist dream of Israel always involved the resurgence of Hebrew as the official language, when Israel was founded, Yiddish, English, and Arabic were all languages spoken by many in the population.  Immigrants from around the world brought their native languages with them from their birth countries. The diversity following its independence was a source of strength for the country and a harbinger of future cultural disputes. Initially, the War of Independence and the new nation's acute needs brought the disparate populace together, working towards a common purpose: survival. As the 20^th Century came to a close, the Hebrew language became a powerful means of assimilating, Russian, European and South American Jews who had immigrated to Israel from the Diaspora.

For most of the world's Jewish population of 14.6 million, Hebrew is not their first language.  Israel is now home to more Jews than the United States. Hebrew is the glue that binds Jews together throughout the world. When I began my Jewish education at Hillel Day School, I was taught to read, write and speak Hebrew. I presumed the goal was not to make it easier for me to make Aliyah one day, but to allow me to learn about the Jewish people. The Hebrew language is the entry point into the study of our religious texts and our history. My Mom's family is from Argentina. When we travel there for a family simcha, it never fails to amaze me how incredibly easy it is to bridge our cultural and linguistic divide through our common understanding of Hebrew as well as the songs and tradition of our shared religion. This historic, yet constantly changing language is a comfort. It is what provides me with the ability to walk into a synagogue in Rosario, Argentina and maintain a sense of familiarity that brings me comfort at my own shul in Oak Park, Michigan.

Many major religions have moved away from their foundational languages. The Greek and Russian Orthodox religions now offer mostly English liturgy in the United States. Even the Catholic Church limited Latin Mass in the early 1960s. Nevertheless, most Reform Temples in the United States almost always have some Hebrew text in their prayer books. In that sense, the use of Hebrew is what ties the Jews of the Diaspora to Israel. The connection that Jews around the world feel for the State of Israel, even if it is no more than a mere acknowledged existence of a Jewish State, is also what binds us together. The majority of Jews in the world are not fluent, let alone conversant in Hebrew. Yet, it is the Hebrew language that is the pillar of our religious and cultural identity. Israelis of all walks of life must learn to speak Hebrew to live and work in modern Israel. However, the Hebrew language is more than just the Israeli language of commerce. It is, the fulfillment of a Zionist dream to create a ho0meland for the Jewish People on the same grounds where our ancestors have walked for thousands of years. That is why when we, as Jews, utter simple phrases such as "Yasher Koach" or "Kol Hakavod" not only are we proving our global unity, but reinforcing and honoring this close connection between millions of Jewish of the Diaspora and the State of Israel.