“I’m not sure I’m the right person for you to speak to. You see, I don’t speak Hebrew.” Thus began a delightful conversation with Sabrina Bhojani, Head of School of the Richmond Jewish Day School, who was immediately assured that she is in excellent company, as more and more Heads of Jewish schools are brought onboard to the top leadership positions following strong and successful careers in public or independent schools. 

Three years ago, Bhojani made the move from leadership at a public school in British Columbia to a whole new world of Jewish day school education, bringing her wealth of experience with the BC curriculum, enthusiasm for child-centered teaching and learning, love of children, respect and appreciation for teachers, and commitment to fostering a warm and welcoming Jewish community.  

Richmond JDS offers a robust half-day immersion program in the primary grades, kindergarten through fourth grade, where in addition to learning Hebrew and Judaic studies in Hebrew, specials such as design skills and technology, physical education, music, and art are also taught in Hebrew by Israeli teachers. The Judaic and Hebrew faculty members have been with the school for quite a few years and while recruitment of new teachers in the greater Vancouver area can been difficult, RJDS benefits from strong teacher retention and professional satisfaction. 

How does a Head of School observe and assess classes being conducted in a language she does not understand? After many years of supervising teachers in English language classrooms, Bhojani is fascinated by the opportunity to focus on body language of both teachers and students, gauging the engagement, enthusiasm, and joy of learners. She described that since Hebrew isn’t just any language but also such a rich source of identity, a source of a sense of belonging, and a sense of safety, observing the students while blocking out the meaning of the words gives a visceral analysis of a teacher’s efficacy. 

Working with Hebrew at the Center through the Pacific Northwest “Cascadia Project” has been tremendous for the Richmond JDS’s Hebrew teachers, who now have a professional community of like-minded professional Hebrew educators from whom to gain new and fresh ideas. The exchange of tips and techniques from fellow Hebrew teachers from other schools in Greater Vancouver, Portland, and Seattle is as valuable as the learning from Hebrew language coaches and experts. This combination enables the teachers to upgrade and sharpen the Hebrew curriculum across all grades. Sabrina Bhojani is also happy to have met a cohort of colleagues in Jewish day school leadership, from whom she, too, can learn, while also sharing from her deep well of experience in general education. While RJDS is a small school, almost 100% of its graduates matriculate to the King David High School in Vancouver, which makes the relationships among the teachers and educational leaders across schools all the more valuable in their corner of the continent. 

Hebrew has always been a highlight of the day for students at PJA, the Portland Jewish Academy, in Portland, Oregon, but ever since Hamas’ inconceivable, evil, and vicious attack on Israeli civilians along the Gaza border, triggering a war between Israel and Hamas, creating connections to Israel through joyful Hebrew learning has become even more important and relevant.  

At PJA, the formal Hebrew language acquisition happens through immersive play, song, movement, and all forms of joy. For that, PJA is grateful to their dynamic, active, and joy-filled Hebrew Kindergarten teacher, Maya Katri, who communicates with the students through Hebrew language and broad, happy smiles. 

As was the case in many Jewish day schools, PJA’s original model had Hebrew and Judaic studies subjects taught by the same teacher in all lower school grades. Over time the administration has come to see the benefits of matching the right-fit teacher for each subject, and that in some cases, it is preferable to have native Hebrew speakers teaching Hebrew but not necessarily teaching Judaic studies, and visa versa.  Adopting this flexible mindset was a significant philosophical and programmatic switch, and one that has proven to benefit both Judaic knowledge and identify, as well as Hebrew language education of PJA students.  This year, the best fit is for 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade classes have separate Hebrew and Judaic studies teachers, while in kindergarten, 3rd, and 5th grades, the best fit is having the same educator teaching both Hebrew and Judaic Studies.  

On a recent visit to PJA, Hebrew at the Center Senior Education Consultant, Dr. Carmit Burstyn, was wowed by the energy and vibrancy of Maya Katri’s first grade classroom. “The students are active every single moment, they are fully engaged in their learning, and Hebrew is everywhere!” reported Dr. Burstyn. 

According to PJA’s principal, Merrill Hendin, that love of Hebrew is evident throughout the school, not just in Maya Katri’s classes. “The Hebrew teachers are quite skilled, and the student in all grade levels are genuinely happy when the Hebrew teacher comes into their classroom. During Hebrew learning, there is rigger, but it is not intense.” “This is why,” according to the Jewish Life and Judaic Studies Director, Amy Katz, “Hebrew is such a joyful time of the day for our students.” The result is that students remain interested in Hebrew language learning all through their years at PJA. The goal is for PJA students to have a deep connection to their Jewish identity and to Israel, and Hebrew language is the vital connector to both. PJA prides itself on a high percentage of alumni who spend a semester in Israel during high school or during college, and when they study abroad in Israel PJA alumni arrive at Ulpan with a strong foundation of Hebrew upon which they can build. 

PJA students’ “love and interest” in Hebrew language accelerated to “pride and intensity,” exactly one month ago to the day. As details of the surprise attacks on Simchat Torah emerged, the joy associated with Hebrew language fell under a veil of sadness and darkness, particularly for the older students who are more aware of the shocking triggers to Israel’s war against Hamas. Students’ usual positive vibes for Hebrew, combined with deep engagement with Israel and Judaic studies, melded into a different kind of high energy, more akin to determination than to joy. PJA Middle School students became highly driven to do their best work when writing letters of solidarity and encouragement, in Hebrew, to peers in Israel. They are proud that among all the Jewish children in Portland, Oregon, they – the students at PJA – are the lucky ones who can step up in comforting and encouraging the children of Israel, in Hebrew. 

Amy Katz and the Hebrew teachers in her department are excited and appreciative to be first-year members of Hebrew at the Center, and truly treasure the well-developed, well-thought-out, and research-based professional development and coaching that they are now receiving from their project leader, Hebrew at the Center’s, Dr. Carmit Burstyn. Amy has wanted PJA to work with Hebrew at the Center for several years, but the administration found that doing so was financially out of reach for a school of 170 students. Thanks to the Cascadia Project, which includes 12 schools from the Pacific Northwest located in the cities of Portland Oregon, Seattle Washington, and Vancouver British Columbia, PJA has been receiving professional development services from Hebrew at the Center for their Hebrew language faculty since June, 2023. 

Stay tuned as over time we track the Hebrew language trajectory of Portland Jewish Academy. 

On the first day back to school following the horrific attacks on October 7, 2023, teachers, staff, students, and parents were in shock. Perhaps none more than Hebrew language teachers, most of whom are Israeli and have loved ones back home in Israel, in danger’s way. The dilemma of how to keep one’s composure in front of students, continue to teach at an appropriately high level, and monitor the well-being of family members was a lot to juggle.

Bright rays of light have been emerging and continue to emerge through projects initiated by Hebrew language teachers that incorporate living Jewish history and developing more and more Hebrew language skills in real-time. 

Take, for example, Luria Academy of Brooklyn, a member-school of Hebrew at the Center, whose middle school approached its response to the crisis in Israel in a way fully aligned with the school’s ethos, under the leadership of Hamutal Keinan, Instructional Leader for Upper School Hebrew at longtime Hebrew at the Center Coach. Read on for words from Luria’s website, in italics, interwoven with the mission-aligned steps they took to create and send to this video of love to children in Israel. 

We champion questions over quiet, and initiative over inaction.  

On October 10, students had a lot of questions, mostly asked of their Hebrew teachers in English. At Luria, one Hebrew lesson per week is dedicated to Israel history, conducted in Hebrew, but October 10th was a different kind of day, so teachers welcomed questions in English. After school hours, Luria’s teachers recorded their students’ questions, translated them to Hebrew and planned the next few days’ lessons, incorporating vocabulary they never imagined the need to teach. 

We teach children not to be afraid to stumble because they are learning to pick themselves back up. 

After oral and written lessons, students worked independently on writing and speaking their questions, stumbled to understand the answers, and compose spontaneous prayers in their hearts. They stumbled more, tried again, and they each worked with at least some different words than their peers, because they each wrestled with their own thoughts, fears, and reactions. Teachers circulated, guiding each student to put their feelings into Hebrew words. 

Our job is to create a strong framework, then peel back the scaffolding as the children become more independent – this way we can turn potential into power and growth into strength. 

While coming to grips with their emotions and the ever-growing language skills to express their feelings about this catastrophe, the students at Luria recorded spoken messages to children in Israel, in Hebrew, messages to children they do not know, and made the point of saying their names and sending their love and support to the children of the Gaza Envelope, from a faraway place called Brooklyn.

We have created a community where diversity is a chance to learn, and empathy replaces judgement. We are a community of warmth, confidence, and understanding. 

While watching the video, you will see the empathy and emotion on the faces of the Luria Academy students which is clearly visible. These are not stiff children, parroting back what they had learned. These are empathetic emerging Hebrew speakers expressing their warmth and understanding, yes, with confidence, but first and foremost with fluency and empathy.

We want every child to feel empowered to learn and grow freely, and we are dedicated to building the curious and courageous leaders of tomorrow. 

Luria teachers taught an array of vocabulary and grammatical structures, based entirely on the students’ questions and giving students the tools needed to uncover answers to their own questions, in Hebrew, sharing their empathy with those in Israel who have been traumatized. Their hearts are broken for the children in captivity who are not currently empowered to learn and grow freely, and they create this video to give strength to children currently displaced from their homes, trying to learn while school is disrupted by war. Questions, so many questions. 

Luria Academy students were then video-recorded, saying their own words of comfort. Some stumble, and that’s okay. Accents differ from the girl who arrived from Israel this past summer, to the boy who has never been to Israel and has no Israeli relatives. No one reads or memorizes a script written by their teachers. Their Hebrew words have been embedded in their hearts and come back out from their mouths. They are living the Luria Academy ethos of becoming young leaders of the Jewish people, which includes developing fluency in the language of the Jewish people, one step at a time, in times of joy, and in times of sorrow. 

Imagine the surprised look on the face of the local farmer when a little American child approaches and asks:

אפשר לקבל שלושה מלפפונים?

Another student asks:

יש לימון היום?

A third chimes in:

אני רוצה חסה בבקשה.

The farmer sells his produce at Helen Albert Certified Farmer’s Market in Hollywood, California, and the children are second graders at Briskin Elementary School, the Jewish day school of Temple Israel of Hollywood, a Reform Temple in Southern California.

Shopping at the farmer’s market – in Hebrew – is one of the many ways that Briskin Elementary School students experience Hebrew outside the walls of the school while living up to the school’s mission. Briskin Elementary provides its students in kindergarten through 6th grade with a meaningful educational experience and a passion for life-long learning, the arts, Jewish values and traditions, participation in social action, and a connection to Israel. The leaders and teachers at Briskin accomplish their goals through a dynamic curriculum of General Studies, Hebrew and Judaic studies, and the arts.

With a strong emphasis on creating independent problem-solvers who care deeply about sustainability, the Hebrew faculty, under the leadership of Noa Vitaly, seek ways to integrate Hebrew language learning, as authentically as possible, into the overall activities of the school. So, before the 2nd graders take a field trip to the farmer’s market, they spend several weeks learning the Hebrew vocabulary and sentence structure to successfully shop for seasonal, healthy, nutritious produce. They do so by using the methodology of learning Hebrew through dramatic play, relying on the JIGZI online platform for watching short video stories in Hebrew, reading the transcripts of the story, writing scripts for little plays, practicing, and performing their plays, and then taking what they’ve learned out to the real world.

Authenticity has its limits, though, since the farmers and vendors at the Hollywood farmer’s market don’t actually know Hebrew! This is why Noa Vitaly is already dreaming of bringing the Briskin fourth graders who will learn about animals this year to חוות כפר סבא, a local animal farm owned by Israelis, where the students will be able to interact more fluidly and fluently at a developmental stage of second language acquisition where they will have developed stronger Hebrew language skills.

After several years as a classroom teacher at Briskin Elementary School, Noa Vitaly is excited to be in her second year as Hebrew Coordinator. Noa shared, “our approach is to integrate Hebrew with other subjects, expanding it visually in the school environment, and connecting it to the outside world. I truly believe that teaching in general and teaching a second language, in particular, is most effective when you succeed in building core memories. Through the farmer’s market experience, we witnessed a high level of engagement and joy in learning (חדוות למידה). We plan more opportunities to expand learning outside of the classroom walls and build more lasting memories for our students.”