YIDDISH IN ISRAEL: THE PRESS, RADIO, THEATRE, AND BOOK PUBLISHING by JOSHUA A. FISHMAN and DAVID E. FISHMAN THE YIDDISH PRESS The general position of the Yiddish press in Israel seems relatively firm. As hefits the largest non-Hebrew mother tongue in the country, Yiddish had more publications in 1970 than did any other of the top six immigrant-based languages in the coun - try. However, even here it is clear that the Yiddish press does not enjoy the predominance that one would expect on the basis of the large proportion of those who claim Yiddish as principal or additional language. Furthemore, the Yiddish press in Israel seems to be past its peak (reached in 1960). In view of the fact that the Yiddish press outside of Israel is particularly noteworthy for its dailies, the fact that only one Yiddish daily is published in Israel, is deserving of some com - ment. Newsprint is governmentally controlled in Israel, most particularly newsprint for dailies. For many years after the es- tablishment of the State of Israel, no newsprint was allocated for a daily in Yiddish, even though such allocations had already been made for a few dailies in other recent-immigrant languages. This was interpreted as an expression of particular opposition in certain governmental circles to Yiddish and its press. This opposition, at a less restrictive level, is felt to continue to this very day and to express itself in the denial of any “ privileges for Yiddish. ” Those circles most actively favoring Yiddish in Israel today (various Yiddish writers, singers, actors, and organizational acti- vities) advocate for it a special status on the basis of its being (currently or recently) the major Jewish language in the world today, the link-language between Israel and its most dedicated Ashkenazic supporters abroad, the language of the hallowed six million martyrs during the Nazi holocaust, the language of a huge portion of Soviet Jewry, etc. The latent purpose of all of these claims is to convince Israel public opinion that Yiddish is not Joazii (a foreign language) and, therefore, should be favored governmentally rather than either disfavored or lumped together with culturally foreign languages. This view has led the one Jothuj Fishman is Academic Vice-President of Yeshiva University. — 6 —