‘Hostages’ voted Hebrew word of the year

Runner-up words were ‘gevurah’ (heroism) and ‘hutar l’pirsum’ (allowed to be published), the academy said.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

In solidarity with the captives held by Hamas for 473 days, Israeli voters selected the word “hostages” (hatufim in Hebrew) as 2024’s Word of the Year, the Hebrew Language Academy announced on Monday.

“In these days when we are all following with anticipation and vigilance the release of the kidnapped men and women from Hamas captivity in Gaza, the public voted en masse and chose the word “hostages” as the word of the year – by a majority of 45%,” the academy said.

“This year, the year of the longest and most difficult war in our history, was also a year in which we sometimes felt at a loss for words. And yet, throughout the year, words stood out that reflected reality: the pain, sorrow, and anger on the one hand, and the pride, exaltation, and gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives on the other. The words chosen for the top spots represent this whole,” the academy explained.

“We all hope that on the eve of Hebrew Day next year, we will be torn between words that indicate joy and peace,” it added.

Runner-up words were gevurah(“heroism”) and hutar l’pirsum (“it was allowed to be published”), the academy said.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 94 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.

The academy announces its annual word of the year on the Hebrew birthday of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, a linguist who was the driving force behind reviving Hebrew as a modern spoken language.

Born in present-day Belarus in 1858, he moved to Israel in 1881. Living in Jerusalem, he wrote the first dictionary of modern Hebrew and published a Hebrew language newspaper.

His initiative was controversial, with many people believing that using Hebrew for everyday conversation profaned the language.

Ben-Yehuda died of tuberculosis in 1922.