Hebrew ceased to a utilitarian language around the 2nd century A.D., and was used only for religious rituals. Today, millions speak it as their first language in Isreal. How did this happen? Why didn't Jews moving to Isreal communicate in Arabic or Yiddish? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Hebrew ceased to a utilitarian language around the 2nd century A.D., and was used only for religious rituals. Today, millions speak it as their first language in Isreal. How did this happen? Why didn't Jews moving to Isreal communicate in Arabic or Yiddish?

by RusticBohemian

Also, did Jews arriving in Isreal quickly give up their mother tongues at home? Was uptake of the language quick?

voyeur324

/u/ghostofherzl and /u/gingeryid (under a previous alias) have previously answered In the lead up to and when Israel became a nation, how did people develop an effective social and political state when everyone spoke a different language; or was modern Hebrew already spoken by the majority?

/u/hannahstohelit has previously answered