WATCH: Israeli Arab’s Musical Hebrew Lesson Goes Viral
Image by Getty Images
Image by YouTube
Jehan Jaber, a Hebrew teacher from central Israel, has become an unlikely celebrity over there after the Arab teacher’s instructional song went viral on the Internet, drawing hundreds of thousands of views.
“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 News, after the ditty “Geshem Geshem Mitaftef” (Rain, Rain Dripping), landed on the lips of innumerable Israelis. In the video, she plays the darbuka (an Arab drum instrument) and gets her students to repeat the lines after her in folk-song style.
Based on the initial reaction, “Geshem Geshem Mitaftef” could become a beloved national song, as it’s already inspired cover versions from professions musicians concert and a group of Israeli soldiers. The song was even parodied on the comedy show Eretz Nehaderet, where the host changed up the lyrics to mock the country’s politicians.
Israel’s Arab students are educated in their own public schools, but take classes in Hebrew starting in elementary schools in order to be able to interact with their Jewish fellow citizens.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
