Loving Hebrew and Jewish Day Schools
From a national perspective on Jewish day schools, Elliott Rabin observes progress in the ways Hebrew is taught. Blending literary insight with educational leadership, he highlights a shift toward more nuanced, inclusive approaches and educator tools that can make Hebrew feel more “native” than “foreign.“
In 2007, when Elliott Rabin first started working at RAVSAK, the former Jewish community day school network, he knew very little about Jewish day schools. Having received his PhD in comparative literature at the University of Indiana with a specialization in Hebrew literature, he was no stranger to Hebrew.
“Historically, Hebrew has been an essential key to Jewish study and identity,” Rabin said. From the lens of his research on 20th century Hebrew literature to his perspective on the past twenty years in Jewish education, he has observed changing attitudes towards Hebrew in the lives of diaspora Jews.
Rabin, who is the director of thought leadership at Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, acknowledges that there are diverse approaches to Hebrew, and determining the goal for Hebrew education influences the way it is taught. “For some, the primary goal of Hebrew is to provide access to Jewish ritual and traditional texts,” he said. “This is different from wanting to prepare students to order the proverbial “kafeh hafuch” (latte) in Tel Aviv.”
Having been in the teacher’s seat in Indiana and as adjunct faculty at New York University and Baruch College, Rabin understands that learning Hebrew is not the same as learning another foreign language. “For Jews, Hebrew is not exactly foreign, it is loaded with cultural associations and meanings.”
First at RAVSAK and now at Prizmah, Rabin edits the well-regarded HaYidion journal. Early on, he said, the editorial team made the decision not to italicize common Hebrew expressions, as they would do with other languages. “This was a kind of conscious nod to the fact that Hebrew is part of our ‘native’ birthright as Jews and not something foreign.”
Early in his work with Jewish day schools, Rabin observed a single-minded approach to teaching Hebrew. “Curriculum was king,” he said. “There was a belief that if we just created the right textbooks and methodology and stuck with Ivrit b’Ivrit (teaching Hebrew or Judaic studies in Hebrew), we could achieve relative fluency.”
Whereas Ivrit b’Ivrit was once what Rabin called “like Mt. Sinai” in terms of its impact and application, now schools are investing in more individualized approaches. Recognizing learning challenges, especially related to language and reading, has resulted in differentiated pedagogies. “The goals have not actually changed, but methods of teaching have become a bit more sophisticated,” he said.
Years ago, Rabin even created opportunities to seed a new generation of creators of Hebrew literature. Rabin wrote a primer on studying Hebrew poetry, and HaYidion sponsored a Hebrew poetry contest for day schoolers.
“Nowadays teachers and students are drawn to unpacking current Israeli music and deciphering the song lyrics,” he said. With allusions to Biblical texts, midrashim, and medieval poetry, these songs are a living link in the Jewish literary tradition. “For 2000 years Hebrew—a truly timeless language–was the way Jews expressed personal and communal values,” said Rabin.
“The question facing Hebrew education now,” said Rabin, “is how do we enable all students to learn Hebrew to their potential—both those who need support and those with gifts for learning second languages.”
Rabin is hopeful that AI and advanced technology can be used by teachers to help students individualize their learning in ways to advance achievements in Hebrew. Alongside new curricula and strategies, Rabin noted, teachers have access to more sophisticated professional development as well.
“Training for Hebrew teachers has definitely grown,” said Rabin. “When I started, there was a lot of bemoaning about teachers in day schools who were Israelis and fluent in Hebrew but had no pedagogical background.” Through programs like Middlebury and the former Ivriyon program led by Miriam Meir and the late Alan Mintz at JTS, teachers have found opportunities to learn and improve, he said.
Prizmah partners with Hebrew at the Center to sponsor Reshet networking groups specifically designed for Hebrew teachers to get connected, share best practices, and support each other. Additionally, Rabin notes the prevalence of assessment tools like Avant STAMP for Hebrew and MaDYK, tools teachers can access to know where their students are and to measure progress.
One component of Rabin’s work includes serving on teams that provide accreditation for Canadian schools. “Hebrew is a part of the Prizmah accreditation process,” Rabin said. “Each school is so different in its approach to Judaics and the place of Hebrew.”
Rabin can tell that a school is serious about Hebrew fluency when it uses research-based testing to determine assessment and progress, when it supports its faculty in professional training, and when teaching Hebrew is allocated a similar amount of time and prioritization as other foreign languages.
As a lover of Hebrew, Rabin is hard-pressed to name a favorite expression, but he is drawn to the phrase על אחת כמה וכמה, roughly meaning “all the more so.” In addition to epitomizing a rabbinic logical mindset that creates connections between claims, Rabin hears in the words a simple, repetitive, and powerful poetry that is similar to prayer.
“The expression can’t really be translated word for word—‘upon one, how much and how much,’” said Rabin. “But when you say the words out loud, as intended, there’s a certain joy, an exuberance to the language, far beyond their meaning. There’s tremendous pleasure in saying such an expression, in the process of shaping arguments and discovering meanings through these linguistic and logical tools that Hebrew richly offers.”
Jewish day schools—and Hebrew itself–have an ally in Rabin, על אחת כמה וכמה.
