Lecture on the Elementary School

The speaker brings examples and proofs from other nations, like Switzerland, Belgium, and even different states in Germany, where the spoken language is radically different from the official state language. There is no room for compromise: that would be a sign of weakness and a lack of faith in our strength. It is the desire of the Jewish people to free themselves from [the burden of] their exile—and yet people come and weigh down that burden even further. The soul of the child desires repair and harmony. First, we must recognize [our principle] that the school is united. It is a school that would equally serve the needs of children from every social class, for all Jews. We must also abolish the separation of our schools by gender which has been the rule up until now, even in the ope schools.¹ We must remove this shame from ourselves; the Hebrew mother is our safeguard and our hope. Were the education we offer our daughters different, perhaps the terrible language tragedy would not exist. We already have a “charter” for the Hebrew language—it is the Bible. (Applause).