Hebrew

The beginning of a new school year is a great time to review learners' Hebrew skills, and to plan how you will support their learning all year long. 

Learning Hebrew is a skill that takes practice to keep sharp, just like any other skill. The more often students are exposed to Hebrew and practice using it, the stronger their language skills will be. A little bit of regular practice goes a long way to boosting confidence and proficiency. 

Research shows that effective Hebrew learning comes from regular exposure to authentic language in various ways, including listening and speaking. Further, the best language connections come from using Hebrew in creative ways.

Here are some simple engaging ways to practice in small bites.

Movement-based Conversational Hebrew

Every week this summer, students from Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan New Jersey, met to play games and socialize.

The fun and relaxed environment also created an easy space for children in grades 3-6 to practice their Hebrew skills.

They used Hooked on Hebrew playing cards to play "tons" of games, such as Bingo, Crazy 8's, Go Fish, and Memory, at the synagogue's Summer Hebrew Enrichment program. "We used the decks every single week because the students loved them so much," said Melissa Pescatore, director of religious education. 

It’s mid-August. For many students and teachers—particularly in the South and West—back to school is here while others will be back in session in mid-to-late September. We wanted to find out what back to school looks like in this awkward fall when things seem better even as we all remain cautious about what the Delta variant of COVID might mean in the coming weeks and months.

So we asked, “What will religious school look like for Fall 2021”?
47 schools from across the country responded in detail. And while uncertainty remains, and no one can yet retire the word ‘pivot’ (sorry!), educators have been finding ways to take the best from a stunningly challenging 2020 and move forward. Here are the results of the survey.

How will your school be meeting this year?

In contrast to last fall, when schools were zooming exclusively, most educators responding indicated that going into this school year t

Hebrew opens the gates to a world of skills and deeper connection to Jewish prayer, culture, and tradition. 

That’s why Behrman House creates learning tools that support students of all ages and skill levels—whether that’s in the classroom, at home, or in the community.

For more than 100 years, we have partnered with Jewish educators to offer a range of options that can best meet the needs of your students.

Adaptable, dependable, and authoritative. You can count on us to help learners attain solid Hebrew skills.

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Setting Hebrew Goals

Strengthen your program by building in goals

As we all know, there is no single magic bullet to ensure our students connect to the language of their tradition.

It would be easy if the only choice of Hebrew approach were one-size-fits-all. But there’s no single way. The goals for learning Hebrew in vary from one community to the next.  

Our job as educators is to provide learners with real opportunities to use Hebrew in a way that aligns with the community's goals. Over the last century we have seen educational programs of all flavors and have a deep level of expertise in identifying solutions that match goals and resources. We know that Hebrew learning can be deep and fun and meaningful because we see it often, and in many different packages.

As you're thinking about your Hebrew program for the upcoming year, we're highlighting some of our tried and true programs for grades 5-6. T

Decoding Hebrew opens the gates to a world of skills and deeper connection to Jewish prayer, culture, and tradition. 

Now's the time to start thinking about your Hebrew program for the upcoming year. So how to decide which primer is best for your learners?

Here's an overview of our most popular primers: 

Alef Bet Quest 

Best for: Grades 3-4
Students learn Hebrew through a guided virtual tour of Israel. Teaches new letters and vowels from real Hebrew words, with an emphasis on those found in the prayer book. Alef Bet

Here’s a challenge for Jewish educators: An 8th grade student tells his teacher how he doesn’t feel a connection to prayer, even as he "put forth positive energy" to the practice. The student says he’s searching for a way to break through "the blockade between the heart and God.”

This true heartfelt story highlights what many educators know: that while it's important to study the words and mechanics of the prayer, in many ways it's even more important to guide students toward finding the intention that gives meaning to the prayers.

As educator Batsheva Frankel writes in The Jewish Educator's Companion, "It's difficult to help students relate to the

Of all the challenges students at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston have faced this year, learning Hebrew has not been one of them.

The school uses Hebrew in Harmony curriculum for grades 3-6, and this year, just as in pre-pandemic times, students learn to read Hebrew with fluency and develop connections the prayers. This year, perhaps even faster.

“Our Hebrew program has excelled this year,” says David Scott, director of lifelong learning. “The year has been tremendous in many ways because of Hebrew in Harmony. The curriculum works really well, and we’ve found that being fully online this year has really opened up even more opportunities for us to create and develop new ways of engaging children online with Hebrew.”

The Hebrew goals of the Miriam Browning Jewish Learning Center of Beth Israel are tefilah-based. Students are grouped by skill level, and they work on mastering reading each pray

Why does Hebrew matter? 

"Language is a key to identity and culture, and Hebrew is a key to Jewish identity and Jewish culture. We just have to approach it as such." So writes Jeremy Benstein, the linguist and author of Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World.

Engaging with Hebrew is a vehicle to enrich our connection to Judaism and its values. It is a real, living, dynamic language full of energy, Benstein says. You can teach it that way and help students connect with the language in authentic ways - whether or not your school focuses on prayer learning.

If

Card games are time-tested sources of fun for both children and adults. They are also full of both social and academic benefits - AND get kids off screens. 

When used to supplement learning, card games engage both family members and other students in the learning process, making for a collaborative experience. 

Hooked on Hebrew is a new series of card games for practicing Hebrew alphabet and prayers - whether in school or at home or over the summer. Golem program members just received a set this month. 

The cards are designed for ages 8 and up, and are also well suited for intergenerational activity. Play up to 15 different games with each deck. (Cards were developed by Strong Learning and are available in three different packs.) 

The more fun you're having, the more you practice. And the more you practice, the more