As Israeli humorist Ephraim Kishon quipped in the
1960’s, "Israel is the only country in the
world where mothers learn their mother-toungue from
the mouths of their children." Children played
a significant role in shaping modern Hebrew. As immigrants
from many different countries arrived in both pre-
and post-statehood Israel, Hebrew became the lingua
franca of both classroom and playground. Children
quickly became fluent Hebrew-speakers, adapting the
language to suit their own needs.
