Where do we draw the line between teaching Hebrew language and teaching content IN the Hebrew language? 

For many legacy Jewish day schools, there is a long, proud history of teaching Judaic Studies in Hebrew – Ivrit B’Ivrit.  Jewish schools aspire for students to gain fluency in Hebrew, but not at the expense of core subjects such as science, math, and history, which are taught in English or the home language of the country. And so, as a way of increasing exposure to Hebrew language the subjects that have traditionally been taught B’Ivrit have been in Judaic Studies. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer schools can still claim to teach Ivrit B’Ivrit. 

Over the decades, it has been observed that fewer and fewer teachers are entering the profession who are capable of teaching both high level Judaic Studies AND Ivrit. This erosion has been slow but steady. Gap year yeshivas and midrashas have de-emphasized Hebrew as the spoken language of instruction, and Hebrew language requirements have been cut or scaled back at schools of higher education. On the flip side, Limudei Kodesh in Israeli secular public schools has lost its luster, so younger, native Hebrew-speaking teachers often lack the deep content knowledge to teach Judaic Studies. As a result, over time, it has become the norm that in Judaic Studies classes, the texts studied are in Hebrew (and Aramaic) but the teachers’ lessons and interactive conversations are conducted in English.  

What would it look like to explore this conundrum with Hebrew teachers and Jewish Studies teachers together? How can day schools support their Judaic Studies faculty so that more instruction can be delivered in Hebrew, to students from a wide range of Hebrew language backgrounds? Recently Hebrew at the Center, in collaboration with the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in New Jersey, explored ways of bridging the gap and moving the language of instruction in middle school Judaic Studies classes back to Hebrew. 

On September 25, 2024, Hebrew at the Center offered an experimental joint workshop for the Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers at the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy called “Making Sacred Texts Accessible to All Learners – B’Ivrit.” Led by Dr. Esty Gross, Chief of Staff and Director of Education at Hebrew at the Center, and designed in collaboration with Mrs. Debbie Finkelstein, Kushner’s Dean of Faculty and Instruction, this workshop was offered via Zoom for all Hebrew AND Jewish Studies teachers at Kushner Academy. The workshop was also opened for teachers in grades 5-8 from other yeshivot and day schools. The text selected by Kushner was from Sefer Shemot, Parashat Mishpatim, 12:1-12, some of the most challenging verses that Judaic studies teachers and students grapple with. 

Dr. Gross led the workshop in Hebrew and shared extensive, written lesson plans and supplemental materials, also in Hebrew. While most of Kushner’s Jewish Studies teachers were perfectly comfortable listening to and following the lesson in Hebrew, a few struggled to quickly read through the materials in Hebrew in the limited time allotted. Members of the Hebrew department jumped in to help their colleagues from the Judaic Studies department. According to Debbie, “this workshop was wonderful. Dr. Gross was so exquisitely prepared and built this workshop around a text our teachers and students struggle with. She opened the door for more cross-department collaboration in the future, and the teachers are now much more motivated to co-plan.”  

When asked what Kushner’s Hebrew language teachers got out of this legal, TaNaCH-based workshop, Debbie responded, “The Hebrew teachers saw themselves as an important resource, and this was very validating. As a faculty, we felt like we were speaking the same language, and this time, that language was Hebrew.” 

Hebrew at the Center thanks the Judaic and Hebrew Studies faculty from the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy for being our thought partners on this project. We welcome future collaborations with Yeshivot and day schools as we advocate for Hebrew as a more prominent and intentional feature of Jewish life. 

The Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy a Zionist Modern Orthodox Gan through 12^th Grade Yeshiva in Rockville, Maryland, has been considering administering AVANT Assessments for a long time, at least 7 or 8 years. It has been a long journey, and this is the year that Berman will finally get on AVANT boat and sail. Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy is a pioneer, the first Modern Orthodox school to have their students’ Hebrew language skills assessed through an ACTFL-based instrument so let’s wish them B’Hatchlacha Rabba. Given the centrality of Hebrew language to the mission of Zionist Orthodox schools, it is anticipated that other schools will follow Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy’s lead.

Avant STAMP for Hebrew is a general language proficiency assessment of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking skills in Hebrew. Developed in collaboration with Hebrew at the Center, AVANT STAMP for Hebrew was originally designed for Jewish Day Schools and heritage learners. Today, Hebrew second-language learners also benefit from this proficiency test.

Member School Highlight met with Mrs. Rene Isser, Hebrew Language Department Chair at Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy to learn about their reasons for wanting to assess all Hebrew language learners and why is it finally happening in the 5785 academic year. Here are excerpts from the interview, in Rene’s own words:

Anecdotally we know we have a successful Hebrew program. We hear it from Berman Hebrew Academy alumni who go to Israel to study for a year after high school. When they come back, they tell us that although they didn’t think they knew enough Hebrew, they were placed in the highest Ulpan level or in the highest Shiur level of their Yeshiva. After they’ve graduated from High School at Berman, they look back and are proud of what they’ve achieved.

We hear these remarks after the fact, and it brings us great pride, but for many years parents have asked, “How do we know that our children are progressing the way you say they are progressing? How are they really doing?” Until this academic year we have had no real data points except for their placement tests for Bishvil HaIvrit, administered as students move from elementary to middle school.

Melvin J. Berman uses the Bishvil HaIvrit curriculum, published by CET, for our middle and high school Hebrew curriculum, and we are happy with it. For those students who complete the advanced units, we offer 11^th and 12^th graders a choice of either “Honors Hebrew Literature” or a Kolel/Midrasha program taught in Hebrew by a rebbe from Kolel MiTzion in Israel.

We do, however, want to make sure our students are doing as well as we think they are doing and tweak our curriculum here and there, as necessary, to fill any gaps in students’ language skills.

When Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder came on last year as Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy’s new Head of School, he already knew from his predecessor that implementing AVANT Assessment was an action item on the school’s plan. In our very first meeting, I told Rabbi Broder that there are two things that I want to do: the first is to have our Gan be a Hebrew language immersion program. The second is to implement AVANT Assessment, so that we could finally give our parents answers to their questions and data on their students’ standing, support for our teachers in the areas where our students do not perform as well as they could, and the opportunity for our students to earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy. I told our new head of school that “we just need to find a way to get on this boat and sail with it, and I don’t know how to do it on my own, and I really need your support.”

As a new Head of School coming in, Rabbi Broder really embraced this. He helped me and supported me, knowing that we were taking a risk. We do not know how our students will perform, but we need this data so that we’ll know what to tweak. By becoming Members at Hebrew at the Center, we save 50% on the cost of each assessment, per student, which brings the cost within reach. Our Executive Director, Mr. Shmarya Gasner, was able to procure a grant that will cover a good part of the expense of the testing. So here we are. It is finally happening!

Based on the advice of Dr. Esty Gross, Hebrew at the Center’s Chief of Staff and Director of Education, we’ll be testing students in 4^th, 10^th, and 11^th grades. Beyond Membership, we have also contracted with Hebrew at the Center to analyze our students’ results, which will give us the means to share and present the data with parents, teachers, and the board, and will also give us direction for adjusting our curriculum for even better results in the future. This is one of the reasons we are assessing high school students in both 10^th and 11^th grades. This year’s 10^th graders will be retested next year, and we’ll be able to measure the impact of our curricular and methodological tweaks. This also gives students who did not achieve the Global Seal of Biliteracy at the functional level in 10^th grade another chance – and the motivation – to stretch themselves and achieve the Seal in 11^th grade. Likewise, it gives students who achieved functional fluency in 10^th grade the motivation to work hard and achieve working fluency in 11^th grade. I anticipate that this external measure will increase students’ drive for excellence.

Our students have a very strong reputation for their preparedness in Hebrew and it is something that makes Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy’s administration, teachers and me very proud. If our students do well enough on the AVANT Assessment to earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy, and if they can get college credit or fulfill their college Global language requirement, it will be another feather in their caps, and they will have earned it.

For more information on administering the AVANT STAMP in Hebrew, contact Sheila Bong at AVANT Assessment.

For more information on Membership at Hebrew at the Center, including discounts for assessments, contact Dr. Cindy Dolgin, Director of Membership and Data.

 

Almost 11 months ago our world turned upside down, when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. This attack – and the subsequent wars with Hamas and Hezbollah feels personal. While still needing to remain composed, empathetic, and charismatic, for Israeli teachers at Jewish schools in the Diaspora, this past school year was a particularly wrenching time. Once the hectic routine of the school year wound down in June, many Israeli teachers could finally let down their guards and allow their feelings wash over them.  

Efrat Yakobi-Gafni, Hebrew language department chair at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School’s Middle School in Northridge, California, became determined to “do something about it.” Efrat led the charge to organize a gathering – in person – of Hebrew language and other Israeli teachers from across the Los Angeles Metropolitan area to lift each other from the morose and anxiety that she and others were feeling, and to share fresh ideas for teaching about Israel in Hebrew classes. Thus, was born the idea for a professional half-day gathering for Middle and High School Hebrew teachers, conducted entirely in Hebrew, held on a Sunday August 25, 2024 | 21 Av 5785, called “ישראל בשיעור העברית” or “Israel in the Hebrew Class,” hosted by The Heschel Day school. Heschel is a K-8 Community Day School whose middle school offers 4 different levels of Hebrew instruction per grade, from new Hebrew leaders through Hebrew heritage speakers/learners. 

Hebrew at the Center’s Member School Highlight sat down with Efrat to hear her reflections about the gathering of teachers from more than half a dozen LA Jewish day schools and Yeshivot. Here are translated excerpts from MSH’s interview with Efrat Yakobi-Gafni, which was conducted in Hebrew: 

 

MSH: Who was your end-game target audience? Were you organizing this to support the Hebrew teachers or were you organizing this so that Hebrew teachers could plan for deeper student engagement? 

EYG: To be honest? It started with a target audience of one. Me! The origin of this conference rippled out from the personal to the professional. I needed to refuel and to talk to fellow Hebrew speaking and Hebrew teaching practitioners. To comfort and be comforted. To learn from and with other veteran teachers and to brainstorm with them and with novice teachers regarding what to say to students on the first day of a new school year. I imagined that other teachers shared my yearning. As professionals, we all need to think about our students, the future leaders of the Jewish community, and how they will move forward during this chronic crisis. At the Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School, in addition to our regular Hebrew classes, we have a period every Friday called “שישי ישראלי” focused on Israeli news and culture. Shockingly, the focus changed last October, and unfortunately, almost one year later, things have not gone back to “normal.” How will we deal with that fact on the first day of school?  

MSH: Why didn’t you just gather your own teachers from Abraham Joshual Heschel Day School? How did you get the idea to gather the Hebrew language teachers from all LA County? 

EYG: My instinct told me the new reality transcends one school. We at Heschel could not be the only ones to be struggling with this dilemma. As for the idea of organizing a county-wide conference: In May, 2024, the BJE of LA put together a conference for Judaic Studies teachers on helping students cope with the war with Hamas. I am not a Judaic Studies teacher, so I did not receive an invitation, but Heschel’s Head of School at Heschel, Larry Kligman thought I’d be interested so he forwarded me the invitation and I attended. (Editor’s Note: This is Efrat’s 4th decade teaching Hebrew as a second language and her 18th year as the Hebrew Department Chair at the Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School’s Middle School. Efrat embodies being a lifelong learner and her Head of School honors this fact. In addition to holding a BA in English Literature from the University of Haifa, a teaching certificate from Oranim, and an MA in Hebrew letters from the American Jewish University, Efrat attends as many professional seminars and conferences as possible as part of her continuing professional education.) As the BJE-LA conference for Judaic Studies teachers proceeded, it struck me that the absence of other Hebrew language teachers was a missed opportunity. In the Hebrew classroom, we recreate a piece of Israeli culture every day. Authentic language is the best way to teach culture, and Hebrew is the language of Israel. I asked if the BJE was planning a day of learning about the current complexities, in Hebrew, and the answer was “no, not this year,” which triggered me to think about organizing a conference, for and by Hebrew language teachers, in Hebrew, at Heschel.  

 

MGH: This was an ambitious project for one Hebrew teacher, from one school, to take on!  

EYG: Yes, indeed! But a fire was burning inside of me. The Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School recently became a member of Hebrew at the Center, and I consulted with them. I heard from Dr. Esty Gross, Hebrew at the Center’s Chief of Staff and Director of Education, that a fellow Middle School Hebrew department chair from a school in New York had organized a similar day of peer-to-peer Hebrew professional development last spring, to which Hebrew language professionals from other schools in the NYC Metro area were invited..  Esty put me in touch with Sarit Nevo, The Leffell School’s Upper School Hebrew language chair, who generously shared micro and macro details from her own experience spearheading and organizing the “Shiur Ivrit” conference in April 2024. Reviewing Sarit’s game plan and master schedule gave me a framework to build upon. I realized that I need additional partners, including those from within my own school! I had to make my case, but Larry Kligman, our Head of School was very supportive and generous in making this event possible. In additional to expertise and marketing support from Hebrew at the Center, I also received support from Rabbi Jim Rogozen, Director of the Center for Excellence in Day School Education at the BJE of Los Angeles.  

MSH: Did you get much of a response? How did the “Israel in the Hebrew Class” Conference go? 

EYG: So much work went into creating and executing this conference. I wanted it to happen in June, but it was hard to gain traction in such a short window of time. However, once I got this idea into my head, I persevered. I would not abort the mission, and in the end, the conference far exceeded my expectations! About 25 Hebrew language teachers attended from 6 or 8 Los Angeles-based schools. Los Angeles County is large! People traveled for up to an hour to get to Heschel early on a Sunday morning. Considering that it was the last Sunday before the start of a new school year, that a phenominal response from truly dedicated teachers!  Orthodox, Community, Conservative, and Reform Day Schools and Yeshivas were represented. K’lal Yisrael pulled together. 

At the conference, there was time for us to reunite with old colleagues and meet new ones from across the city, the valley, and the hills of Los Angeles. There were four breakout options over 2 periods to choose from, peer-led by myself, another Heschel Day School teacher, and colleagues from 2 other schools. There was an excellent keynote address by Dr. Esty Gross. Heschel’s school rabbi spoke movingly, and there was a beautiful greeting from Rabbi Rogozin of the BJE. Just as importantly, there was excellent food! Don’t underestimate the importance of eating well to drive high-level thinking, sharing, and collaboration! 

The entire conference was conducted in Hebrew, and all teachers from all LA-based day schools who know Hebrew were invited to participate, regardless of their subject. This was the first such gathering for Hebrew speaking teachers since before the pandemic and I am confident it will not be the last. I am proud to have hosted, and so very grateful to Larry Kligman and the rest of the administration at the Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School for believing in, trusting, and supporting our efforts to see this vision through. With all the nuance and complexity of the current situation in Israel, all teachers who attended are now in a better frame of mind to begin teaching their classes.  

MSH: Rabbi Jim Rogozen commented: “I was very impressed by the initiative of Efrat Yakobi-Gafni and the other Heschel teachers, and the creative programmatic framing of Dr. Esty Gross from Hebrew at the Center. The fact that so many teachers gave up their last free Sunday before the school year shows their commitment to Israel, their schools, and their students. BJE LA was proud to support such a great event.  Kol HaKavod!” 

Hebrew at the Center is honored to have Abraham Joshua Heschel as a new member. May you and all your faculty and students have an inspiring year. 

 

______________________________  

If you are a Hebrew at the Center Member School interested in organizing a day of peer-to-peer professional learning in your community, contact Dr. Esty Gross at Hebrew at the Center, Sarit Nevo at The Leffell School in Westchester, NY, or Efrat Yakobi-Gafni at the Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School in Northridge, CA.