Chinese nurses must speak Hebrew (Archive Photo)
צילום: סי די בנק
Shalom, Mr. Li
Interior and Foreign Ministries demand Chinese speak Hebrew before working in country's nursing field
It's definitely one of the oddest government guidelines.
According to an order signed by both the Interior and Foreign Ministries, Chinese workers who cannot speak Hebrew will not be allowed into the Holy Land and to work in the nursing field.
However, an Interior Ministry source said that, if Chinese workers learn either Hebrew or English, the guideline will be reconsidered.
The Interior Ministry's Population Registrar and the Consular Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry set the guideline Friday, arguing that the foreign workers' lack of Hebrew made it hard for Israeli employers.
It should be noted that China is the only country to which this rule applies.
Protecting foreign workers
Surprisingly, the foreign workers' rights organization Kav La'Oved also supports the new policy. Sources in the association said that a Chinese worker pays tens of thousands of shekels just to get to the country, and if he does not speak Hebrew, his Israeli employers will fire him. Then, he will be deported.
Population Registrar Sassi Katzir likewise said Friday night that the measure would protect Chinese nurses.
"They have real problems communicating with their patients," Katzir said. "We have cases, where after just two days, they are fired and are walking the streets looking for a new job. Those who find new employment are exploited."
But Yaki Granat, who heads a nursing company that imports Chinese workers, is livid. On Friday, he sent a letter to the Chinese ambassador in Israel.
"Do the Filipinos speak Hebrew? We bring Chinese who have equal qualifications; they pass a Hebrew class, and many speak English," Granat said.
He added, "The Interior Ministry doesn't realize that most of the world does not speak Hebrew? And if the patient is of Moroccan descent, the Chinese person must now speak Moroccan Arabic?"
