Although it would be beneficial to maintain Yiddish, the “facts on the ground” in the Chareidi community in Eretz Yisrael are that Hebrew has been accepted as the lingua franca. Whether we like it or not, nearly all Bais Yaakov elementary and high schools in the country are teaching in Hebrew. The Chazon Ish himself had a hand in this decision to teach in Hebrew. Of course, there are plenty of private schools that teach in Yiddish. Nearly all of the students in these schools come from Yiddish speaking homes. And it is a parent’s and community’s right to perpetuate this, if they so wish.
So, if the girls are not learning Yiddish at home or in school, their future homes will also be Hebrew speaking. These are the facts of life today, and have been for quite some time. Any sort of posturing and prevaricating that it is not so is simply ignoring the truth. There are many Chassidishe groups as well as the “Old Yishuv” Yerushalmim that are working hard to maintain Yiddish in their communities. (Chassidei Gur are a notable exception. They have mostly given up on Yiddish.) Decades ago, you could find many youngsters who could not communicate in Hebrew. Nowadays, teenagers and older have managed to learn Hebrew (most of the Yerushalmim work, so only Yiddish would be a huge handicap).
The Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim recently switched over from Yiddish to Hebrew for the shiur klali in the Beis Hamedrash. And don’t think that some “kanoyim” (NK outsiders, not anyone in the yeshiva itself) didn’t protest. Many of the regular “daily” shiurim have already been said in Hebrew for a very long time. In general, the Gedolei Torah have decided that today insisting on Yiddish is not an issue.
So, whether we like it or want to admit it or not, it appears that Hebrew has become the spoken language of most of the Chareidim in Eretz Yisroel. Along with a sizeable population that is still maintaining Yiddish.
80 years ago, there was a fierce kulturkampf about the languages, today, because of Gedolei Yisroel’s decisions, the majority of Chareidim are speaking Hebrew. “The battle has shifted to other areas.” (The Chazon Ish responding to some Yerushalmi kanoyim who came to his house to argue with him about his decision to allow Hebrew.)
נהרא נהרא ופשטיה
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