Spoken Jerusalemite ירושלמית מדוברת محادثة مقدسية

Only 4% of Jerusalem’s Arabs speak Hebrew proficiently Less than 10% of Jews in Israel can converse in Arabic. Without a shared language, how can we talk of a shared society? The story of our community begins with two friends, from East and West Jerusalem, and has grown today into the biggest and longest-standing joint community in Jerusalem. Spoken Jerusalemite puts language in center stage, with the goal of turning it from a factor that ostracizes and instills fear, to a resource that allows communication, understanding, and a real opportunity to get to know the other. In one of the most tense cities in the country, we have managed to create together a common language and unite hundreds of women that would likely not have met otherwise. Beyond the meetings, we are working to promote equal rights and opportunities, and to ensure that language no longer poses a barrier for any woman. The community has been continuously growing since 2017, and serves today as a productive foundation for more joint initiatives and bottom-up solutions for all its women.