Mr. President and Mrs. Katzav,
Mr. Speaker of the Knesset,
Distinguished Knesset Members,
 

At the outset, I would like to commend the Speaker of the Knesset for his welcome initiative in dedicating a special Knesset session to honor our language.  This initiative is timely, and I attribute much importance to the purpose of this special session.  My grandfather was a Hebrew teacher in Rehovot at the beginning of the last century.  I have a deep love for the Hebrew language, the miracle of its revival, the historic depth from which it derives its expression, its idioms and proverbs. 
 
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, “the Reviver of the Hebrew language”, said: “the two things without which the Jews would not have become a nation are: the land and the language!”
 
Had Ben-Yehuda risen from his grave, he would have been elated at the sound of the infants and the elderly chatting together in the Hebrew language in the land of Israel, and the “words-words” which he “concocted from his feverish mind”, according to Yaron London’s beautiful poem, are spoken by all.  Hebrew literature, Hebrew poetry, Hebrew song, Hebrew journalism, Hebrew small talk – this entire vibrant Hebrew existence is the realization of Ben-Yehuda’s dream; a dizzying celebration of Hebrew letters, syllables and sounds all around, in a land which remained faithful to its language, which preserved the historic names of its landscapes, counties, towns and villages in its ancient language.  The victory of Hebrew, which became the language of all exiles gathered here in the State of Israel, would undoubtedly have been perceived by Ben-Yehuda as the most profound expression of the miracle of national revival.
 
The renaissance of the new Hebrew culture has created a remarkable linguistic richness, which draws from all strata of our language: the language of the Bible and the prophets, the language of the Mishna and the Talmud, the language of prayer and Halacha, simultaneously with impressive linguistic innovations which sprouted like fresh buds from the roots of the ancient Hebrew.  The new-old language formulated became the epitome of our pride and glory; we loved it; we revered it; we sang it, and we pledged our faith to it.
 
40 years ago, writer Haim Hazaz addressed the French Writers Society, and said: “the land of Israel could not have been built, but for the vitality of the Hebrew language and the existence of Hebrew literature.  Had it not been for them, the State of Israel would not have existed at all”. 
Hazaz’s words preceded only by a short period the magnificent awakening which occurred in the Jewish Diaspora in the Soviet Union; an awakening which found expression first and foremost in underground studies of the Hebrew language, accompanied by displays of supreme heroism and sacrifice.  This Hebrew spark kindled the torch of liberty, at the light of which masses of our brothers and sisters traveled in the large and blessed Aliyah to the State of Israel – a wave of immigration which became a wonder and a dream come true. 
 
Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Members of Knesset,
 
The glorious victory of Hebrew, the eternal language, the historic language of our people and nation, the language of the Bible, should not blind us from seeing the alarming regression in the linguistic quality.
 
The Hebrew spoken today on the streets in Israel and the one plastered on shop windows and billboards is, unfortunately, fraught with mistakes and foreign words.  It is not as pure and refined as it was when it was first devised by Ben-Yehuda and appeared in the writings of our ancestors.  A sensitive ear, which is fanatical about the purity and beauty of the language, would have received harsh cacophonies of sloppy enunciation and poor eloquence, and tasteless foreign expressions which mar the language.
 
The abasement of our language and the destruction of its purity in a strident flow of foreign words is not a passing phase.  If we do not take an active policy of defending Hebrew, if we remain helpless against the depletion and degradation of our language, we will lose a most precious asset of our national culture and identity.  The campaign for Hebrew must be pursued at all levels: kindergartens, schools, the Broadcasting Authority, written journalism and the public climate.
 
I do not understand, for example, why Israeli broadcasting authorities, should give themselves such uninspired and prosaic foreign names as “Hot” or “Yes”.  And how was the hybrid “yallah bye” created in place of the beautiful word “Shalom”? Aren’t there more suitable Hebrew names?! Why should local restaurants, cafes, stores and businesses embellish themselves with foreign names? Doesn’t the foreign tone smack of cheap imitation, self-abasement and disdain?
 
We must not surrender.  Hebrew is too precious and important to us to remain silent in the face of its debasement and degradation.  From this podium, the Knesset podium, we call for a national enlistment to honor the Hebrew language, the pinnacle of our Hebrew heritage and culture. 
 
The battle for Hebrew is not new.  Over 90 years ago, a “battle of languages” took place here in the land of Israel.  Hebrew prevailed, mainly due to the children and youth.  The redemption, wrote Nathan Alterman, would come from the strength of proud Hebrew “children of the poor”, and not from those advocating foreign cultures.  And the poet wrote:
 
“…They say: the ‘zero hour’ is imminent
And tomorrow – where will the wisdom prevail?
An inarticulate people will cover the land
And thought and language will be lost.
 
And then we, the Hebrew handwritten letters, say:
“From a nation stricken with strife…
The ‘children of the poor’ will come
The Torah will go forth from them. 
To them, whose strength is new…
Are waiting…
The thought and language of a nation.”
 
Thank you.