Arab-Israeli teacher's song teaches students Hebrew

Arabic is the main language of instruction in Arab schools, who make up roughly 20% of Israel's overall population.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: MARCH 3, 2017 08:11
Arab-Israeli educator teaches students Hebrew
Learning a new language can be a struggle, but one Arab-Israeli educator is changing that with a unique approach that has consequently taken the Internet by storm.
Jehan Jaber has been teaching Hebrew to grade-school students in Jerusalem for over 17 years, but it was less than two weeks ago that her original song “Geshem Geshem Mitaftef” (translated as “rain, rain, dripping”) on a darbuka (Arab drum) made her a social media star.
In fact, the tune has become so popular that footage, shot by one of Jaber's students during class, has already garnered nearly one million views on Youtube, according to
And Israelis from all over the country have taken notice, with entertainers, musicians and even IDF soldiers posting their own renditions of Jaber's original tune to the Internet.
Arabic is the main language of instruction in Arab schools, who make up roughly 20% of Israel's overall population, according to The Washington Post. And while Arabic is one of Israel's two official languages, it is not compulsory for all students. Hebrew and Arabic are also considered official languages, with the former compulsory for all Israeli citizens. English, while not considered an official language, is a required second language in Israeli schools and universities for both Hebrew and Arabic speakers.
“I did not put the video on the Web. I just filmed myself to see how I could improve my teaching methods. I sent it to a friend, and then suddenly it went viral,” Jaber told Channel 2 in an interview last week.
She added that she came up with idea after searching for a new, fun way to teach her students Hebrew.