Hebrew, Our People’s Language
Posted on 12/09/2022 @ 05:00 AM
Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
Here in Miami’s vibrant, multicultural Jewish community, we hear a myriad of languages - Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew - you get the picture.
Language is not only an instrument for communication; it is a fundamental building block of identity.
- A shared language brings an immediate cultural and emotional connection not only to its speakers, but to a broader community.
- The Hebrew language serves as a sacred link of the global Jewish community, reinforcing a shared history and heritage.
- It gives us deeper access to text and helps us engage in both spiritual and daily life with authenticity and understanding.
This year, CAJE has launched the CAJE-Hebrew at the Center Hebrew Initiative to strengthen Hebrew language instruction in Miami’s Jewish day schools.
Through this pilot program, school leaders and Hebrew language teachers will work with Hebrew at the Center (HATC) to reflect on the strengths of their Hebrew program and identify areas for growth.
The program combines professional development in research-based techniques for teaching and learning Hebrew as well as school-specific coaching to strengthen each schools’ Hebrew language program.
The year kicked off with site visits by HATC Coaches to participating schools where they were able to observe Hebrew classes in action and meet with Hebrew faculty to learn about their programs in order to be able to best support each school according to their needs.
School leaders are excited to have support and expertise to improve and grow their programming. CAJE looks forward to reporting how this initiative helps transform our participating schools.
