Hebrew language study is a core element of Jewish day school education. However, for the estimated 20% of Jewish day school students with dyslexia and other language-based learning difficulties, learning Hebrew is often a major struggle. While second language acquisition is difficult for these students, Hebrew presents unique challenges for the second language learner because it uses a different alphabet, is read right to left, and requires students to decode and manipulate unfamiliar sounds not in their daily spoken language. Meanwhile, the number of day school students with special needs continues to grow.
Importantly, Hebrew language skills go hand in hand with Jewish studies and identity, as well as serving as a key tool to engagement in Jewish communal life. Hebrew reading fluency enables full participation in synagogue life, whether it’s reading the prayer book, chanting from the Torah and Haftarah, or leading a shiva minyan, while modern Hebrew helps foster a relationship with Israel, which is especially critical in our post-Oct. 7 world.
Historically, though, Jewish day schools in North America have been slow to support students with these specific needs. Many of these students who struggle with Hebrew reading are likely to also suffer from low self-esteem and negative attitudes about their Jewish education and Judaism that they may carry throughout their lives. As Prizmah CEO Paul Bernstein has emphasized, if day schools are truly fully committed to inclusion and increasing the enrollment of students with diverse needs, it’s critical to ensure that Hebrew language education clearly addresses this population’s needs.
In the past, little research was available about the magnitude of the problem and criteria for learning success in teaching Hebrew in North America to students with language-based learning difficulties and other special needs. Since Hebrew language teachers typically have worked in independent silos, they have had little opportunity to collaborate on evidence-based best practices to reach these students—compounded by the fact that day school Hebrew language teachers do not necessarily have degrees in education, let alone training in reading, special needs, and/or language acquisition.
“Unique principles govern the science of Hebrew reading, the science of dyslexia, and the science of second language…There is a need for expertise for reading and language specialists and someone who can bridge these areas of research to inform teaching practice and the field of how children learn language,” Dr. Scott Goldberg, a professor of education and psychology at Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School, told Hebrew at the Center.
A new field-wide initiative—Pritzat Derech/Hebrew for All helps create a more inclusive environment for all students, while sending an important message to day school students and families, as well as the broader Jewish community, that every student deserves the gift of Hebrew reading and Jewish learning. Pritzat Derech (Hebrew for “breakthrough”) focuses specifically on making Hebrew reading more inclusive: to train teachers and school interventionists to meet the needs of students with language-based learning difficulties, strengthen student outcomes, and provide a pathway to both recruit and retain students in order to increase day school enrollment.
Pritzat Derech is a joint venture led by Hebrew at the Center, an organization dedicated to advancing Hebrew language teaching and learning, in partnership with such educational organizations as Gateways, MaDYK, Prizmah, and the Shefa Center, a division of the Shefa School.
Pilot training will focus on engaging professionals with expertise in specific areas, e.g. Hebrew language teachers with knowledge of second language acquisition or reading specialists with expertise on helping students with reading skills. By providing them with cross-training in Hebrew language education and language-based learning difficulties, they can round out their areas of knowledge and practice to best serve students, teachers, and schools and become resources for Jewish day schools and the broader community throughout North America.
Every child, no matter his or her learning challenges, receives a quality Hebrew language education, while also providing day school educators with the methodology and training to achieve success. Making Hebrew accessible to all reflects the core Jewish value that each individual is entitled to access Jewish literacy and the language of the Jewish people. So instead of a day school educational system that puts a roadblock before one in five students, we have opened the gates for every student—to gain Hebrew language skills, achieve self-confidence, and feel part of the Jewish community. At the same time, we are helping their families feel better about the Jewish educational system and potentially increase enrollment. By our actions—and with the help of support from the Covenant Foundation, Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation, and our own funders—we are demonstrating that we are a welcoming, problem-solving community that truly values the uniqueness of every child, no matter his or her abilities.
If we want to remain true to our Jewish values of lovingkindness and dignity for every individual, it’s imperative that we educate each learner on his or her individual path. If that path includes challenges, it is our sacred obligation to provide the support and direction to help them move forward with confidence and success. I call on the Jewish community to join us now in smashing away this obstacle that remains in front of far too many Jewish children.
Rabbi Andrew Ergas, EdD, is chief executive officer of Hebrew at the Center. To receive updates or learn more about Pritzat Derech/Hebrew for All, email hebrewforall@hebrewatthecenter.org.
This article originally appeared in Jewish Disability Inclusion News.
This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here. MORE