Abstract
In the early 20th century, with the growing Jewish immigration from Europe to Israel and the development of Hebrew and Arab nationalism, the fragile fabric of relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel and between Hebrew and Arabic was weakened. The roots of the Hebrew language that the immigrants brought with them were related to the rebirth of Hebrew in Eastern Europe. It was primarily based on the link to Yiddish and Russian, as opposed to the revival of Hebrew in the land of Israel, which was based on the connection to Arabic, which in turn was viewed by many as a foreign and unimportant language of residents, Arabs, and Jews. They did not learn it as a spoken language.
Sephardi native-born Jews in the early 20th century sought a Hebrew-Arabic cultural connection, while European immigrants sought a separation—and over time, the latter 'vision' won.