The Social Role of Language Education amidst Ongoing Conflict: Hebrew-language Courses for Adult Palestinian Learners in Jerusalem

• In Event: Adult education in conflict and displacement settings: Online learning, language, and comparative analysis

Proposal

The lack of proficiency in the Hebrew language, the official language of Israel, constitutes one of the main barriers to economic integration for the country’s Arabic-speaking Palestinian citizens and residents (Tehawkho & Kalisher 2023). The linguistic barrier to employment is particularly acute among the Arabic-speaking residents of East Jerusalem, where the majority of young residents (ages 18-35) reportedly have non-existent or low to mediocre verbal proficiency in Hebrew (Porzycki 2022). This linguistic barrier is a manifestation of the prevalent social segregation between the residents of the Hebrew-speaking predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem, and Arabic-speaking Palestinian East Jerusalem. The current war has intensified social segregation due to heightened intergroup tensions and reduced employment opportunities for the city's Palestinian residents in Jewish workplaces (Ramon 2023, Ramon and Shtern 2023). Nevertheless, the demand for Hebrew-language courses among adult East Jerusalemites persists, and new Hebrew-language courses opened after October 7th in employment centers, grassroots organizations, and private and public higher education institutions in the city, both in-person and remotely. These language classrooms constitute rare spaces of prolonged intergroup contact and interaction between Jewish teachers and Palestinian learners.

This paper presents preliminary qualitative findings gathered between late 2024 and early 2025, as part of a dissertation research exploring the social implications of adult language education in contexts of ongoing conflict for intergroup relations and attitudes. The research answers the question: In contexts of ongoing conflict, what are the inter- and intra- group processes generated in adult language education spaces, as sites of intergroup contact and through the process of second language acquisition and teaching? The study explores this question by examining how Palestinian learners and Jewish teachers of Hebrew experience and navigate the converging dynamics between: (1) The physical and socio-psychological conditions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the current war (Bar-Tal 2013, Ramon 2023), (2) the interactional opportunities enabled by intergroup contact (Allport 1954, Levy Paluck et al. 2019) and (3) the negotiation of individual and group identities afforded by second language acquisition and teaching (Gardner & Lambert 1972; Giles and Byrne 1982; Norton 1995, 2013).

This paper concentrated on the city of Jerusalem due to its central place in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and decades-long history of deep social segregation and Jewish-Palestinian intergroup tension. It focuses on three distinct educational frameworks providing Hebrew courses for learners aged 18 and older: a grassroots organization, an employment center, and a college preparatory course. This paper draws on classroom observations, textbook analysis and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with learners, teachers and program managers and staff to create a holistic picture of the learning experience, from institutional agenda to curriculum and pedagogy, to teacher-learner interaction.

This paper examines the research question by also considering the distinct experiences of learning and teaching in both in-person and remote language settings. In times of active conflict, such as the ongoing war, the ability of learners and teachers to attend in-person lessons is often severely disrupted. Remote instruction provides a crucial alternative, allowing for greater access and the continuation of learning. However, it also introduces significant challenges, such as unstable internet access, low levels of digital literacy among both teachers and students, and environments not conducive to remote learning. The educational frameworks analyzed in this study display varied approaches to remote instruction, ranging from fully in-person courses to hybrid models, and fully online formats. These variations enable a comparative analysis of how remote education shapes the learning and teaching experience and inter- and intra-group dynamics within the language classroom, offering insights into the relationship between these modalities and intergroup interaction in language education spaces.

The study synthesizes several fields of inquiry, namely language education, education in conflict, and adult education, shedding light on a population which has received scant academic attention and on educational frameworks which have been overlooked in the study of education in conflict-affected areas (Burde et al. 2017). This paper underscores the importance of viewing adult language education not merely as a tool for economic integration but as a dynamic arena with social implications for intergroup relations and attitudes, especially in conflict-affected contexts. It calls for a more nuanced and informed approach to language education policy in such environments, recognizing its potential to bridge divides, perpetuate existing power dynamics, or even exacerbate intergroup tension.

Author

• Liora Tamir, New York University