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The First Hebrew Child
Ben Yehuda didn't ignore the sever lack of words in Hebrew, but he

didn't give up. As soon as his foot stepped on the ground of Israel in the
year 1881, his wife and himself decided they will speak only Hebrew, and
that is how they treated their children too.

Other children who lived around them didn't know Hebrew, and so, Ben
Yehuda didn't let his children play with them. Since in school they didn't

teach in Hebrew but in foreign languages, he forbid his children from
going to school.
Despite the many difficulties that stood in his way, Ben Yehuda erned the

privilege of founding the first Hebrew Home. His eldest, Itamar, was
considered to be a wonder child, and people came from far away to watch

this little wonder: a child speaking Hebrew, a child who's first and only
language is Hebrew.

New Words to the Hebrew Language
They tell, that in Ben Yehuda's house, in the first days, the word "it" was

heard all the time. Since at the time many objects had no Hebrew name,
Ben Yehuda would point at them and say: I want to put it inside it, and
also it so that I'll have it."

When they couldn't point at an object, they used to explain what it is with

a long definition. They would say "House of City Clerks", because there
wasn't the word "City Hall", "Shelter from Rain", instead of "Umbrella",

and instead of "Watchmaker" they said: "The Guy who Fixes the Time
Teller".
At that time many essential words were missing. For many objects, there

were no Hebrew words. Ben Yehuda invented words: "Bicycle", "Ice
cream", "Sausage", "Shower", "Train" and many others.

Renewing words in Hebrew, meaning: making up new words, was Ben
Yehuda's most important operation. He published his new (work) in the

news paper so that others could learn it, use it and have them rooted in the
Hebrew language.
Ben Yehuda is considered the greatest Hebrew language expansionist, but

there were others who created important creations and contributed to the
expanding Hebrew language. Among them were: his son – Itamar Ben

EVI, his second wife – Hemda Ben Yehuda, the poet Chaim Nachman

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