The official language of Israel is Hebrew, and almost the entire population speaks it either as native speakers or proficiently as a second language. Arabic is the second official language of the country and is spoken mainly by Israels Arab minority, which comprises about one-fifth of the population. In addition, many Israelis know English, and over a million of them speak Russian as a result of immigration from the Soviet Union. Other languages spoken in Israel include Yiddish, French, and German.