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People who do not speak Hebrew as their native language sometimes have difficulty looking at those left-to-right characters.
Oh yes, of course, they don't mind davening. They will look into their siddur, follow along with a chumash, and possibly read elementary stories in Hebrew, if it does not take too much of an effort.
However, it disturbs these people to see that a computer interface could be in Hebrew. They won't be bothered with it. They don't want to know or to relate to Hebrew computer terms. Similarly, they see the pages in a Hebrew textbook or novel as a gray blur.
Americans don't want to take the effort to read Hebrew. They ask for the computer to be changed to English so they could relate to it.
This is not the case with other nationals. Europeans are willing to give Hebrew a chance. They are prepared to read material that is in a language other than their own. Americans, on the other hand, do not feel the need to relate to any other language.
It seems strange for some Jews to reject Hebrew. They see it as too hard, as something that they don't know, and - more importantly - as something that they don't want to know. It is not perceived as being crucial to their lives. They expect others to cater to their need to work in English. Even those who come to Israel will prefer to stay with those who speak English. Those who live in a Jewish environment abroad may not seek out the Israeli yordim - and they will speak to those Israelis whom they encounter in English.
The time has come for Jews to realize that Hebrew is our language, to remove the barriers and the fear of studying Hebrew, and to take the effort to join the Hebrew speaking community.
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