This course will prepare you to read and watch Hebrew media reporting on Eid al-Adha celebrations in Israel under the shadow of the coronavirus epidemic. Eid al-Adha is one of the holiest holidays in the Muslim calendar and is associated with the pilgrimage to Mecca as well as the story of Ibrahim’s (Abraham) binding of Ismail (“Ishamel”). In the Jewish and Christian traditions, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. Lessons 1 through 3 will prepare you to read a Ynet article on Eid-Adha celebrations in Israel and contain a variety of religious, economic, and health-related vocabulary. Lessons 4 and 5 will prepare you to watch an Israeli news report that tackles the same topic. Both the article and the video report note how Israeli authorities have been urging Muslims to celebrate the holiday amongst their inner families in order to contain any spread of the coronavirus. As in other Middle Eastern countries, Muslims in Israel are also struggling economically as a result of the virus and the economic shutdown, with many choosing to forgo purchasing sacrificial meat, visiting family, and donating to the needy in place of basic survival needs. Some sample vocabulary from the lessons include: חג הקורבן – Eid al-Adha; חשש מרשלנות – fear of negligence; הולך ומחריף – getting worse; העלייה לרגל – the pilgrimage; שים מסכה – put on a mask
