Madrasa’s story

Madrasa is a social initiative for learning spoken Arabic, for free, using technological tools and community learning.

Over 75,000 registered students learn to communicate through a combination of free online courses, diverse content on various new media channels, and through practicing in speaking groups across the country. In parallel to its public-facing activities, the organization builds and strengthens many strategic collaborations consisting of hybrid courses, workshops and lectures, with the aim of increasing Arabic fluency in central stratas of society.

Our goal is to connect various groups in Israeli society to one another.

Arabic is in fact a much broader common denominator than is commonly thought: It is the mother tongue of 22% of the population; Many Jews in Israel have a familial, cultural and/or historical connection to it; It is the official language of 24 countries Surrounding Israel and the resemblance between it and Hebrew is amazing. However, the vast majority of Jews in Israel (95%!) Do not speak the language and over the years the connection of the Jewish population to it has eroded.  

Madrasa's vast and diverse community is the heart of the organization.

Both pedagogically — through group practice and learning, and socially — by participation in activities and creating momentum that drives the broader social movement: 75,000 secular and religious, Ashkenazi and Mizrahi men and women, with diverse political opinions and of different ages. 250,000 people consume our daily Facebook page content monthly, and tens of thousands are subscribed to many more learning channels.  

Our theory of change consists of five main stages, on which our activity model is based:  

1. Changing the discourse about the Arabic language and the study of it in the media and social networks, using positive and relevant educational content
2. Turning hundreds of thousands of Israelis into Arabic students through free and high-quality online courses, language groups across the country as well as hybrid courses (tutorial+experiential learning) and broad educational projects.
3. Students learn to communicate through unique learning programs that ensure high success rates and practical tools for engaging in conversation.
4. Creating opportunities for conversation and social infrastructure to implement the knowledge learned
5. Shifting how we position ourselves in the media through communication, trust and building momentum “Learning that strengthens communication that strengthens learning”

Our strategy combines field activities for the general public with strategic collaborations.

We promote courses and learning avenues for public servants (doctors, clerks, etc), corporations, universities and civil society members. We conduct long-term projects with institutions such as the Israeli Medical Association, the Ministry for Social Equality and the National Union of Israeli Students. As part of the latter collaboration, for example, every year, over 1,000 Jewish students study Arabic using our hybrid courses, with the guidance of fellow Arab students, on more than 40 campuses in the country. Starting in the 2020-2021 school year, our Arabic speaking course will be recognized as credit-worth in the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University.