Hebrew is a language that has a big presence in Judaism and Jewish life.
There have been many different forms of Hebrew used around the world, in history and today. There are four main varieties (Biblical, Mishnaic, Medieval, and Modern).
Modern Hebrew was revitalized by Jews in Central and Eastern Europe beginning in the 18th century. This was an important part of Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment). Modern Hebrew also became important for the Zionist movement. They saw Hebrew as a key part of Jewish national identity. Modern Hebrew is very different from earlier versions of Hebrew, like Biblical Hebrew.
Today, Modern Hebrew (Ivrit) is the official language of the nation of Israel. It is also used, to varying degrees, by many Jews outside of Israel.
Modern Hebrew continues to change as Hebrew users give it new meanings and adapt it for their purposes.
Text adapted from Simple English Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0.
Shiviti with text in the form of a menorah, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Denmark; Public Domain
