According to a famous midrash, Abram (aka, Torah’s Abraham) revolutionized theology when he realized that the idols in his father’s “idol shop” did not have the god-like powers ascribed to them. Abram’s wisdom, as well as his hutzpah in smashing the idols, opened up new lines of thought and practice for his time.

Similarly, a number of Jewish educators have been smashing decades old beliefs and practices for teaching Hebrew in part-time/synagogue settings. Much of their early efforts smashed an (almost) singular Hebrew curricular focus on decoding prayers. The results: students’ are reporting positive feelings for Hebrew learning! These educators are now beginning to smash long-held assumptions about decoding’s whys, whens and hows. 

Click the file below to read about four of the biggest smashes beginning to take hold on behalf of synagogue Hebrew. 

Scroll down for the blogpost's PDF. This edited-for-space version is missing its middle paragraphs.

​There are at least two ways to play the game of dominoes. The first is the version my Granny played – tiles laid out on a table, with two to four players taking turns matching colored dots to colored dots. In Granny’s version, everyone played by the rules. The second is the way my brother played – working alone or with a friend to line upright tiles in an intricate pattern, then watching in awe after the first tile is lightly tapped. As each tile falls, it hits another and the energy spreads throughout the system, sometimes moving in a straight line and sometimes branching off to create multiple moving paths...

For decades, we have been playing my Granny’s version of dominoes when it comes to Hebrew learning in synagogue settings. Long-held assumptions influence the rules for teaching Hebrew and everyone (well almost everyone) follows them… [But,] for over a dozen years, Jewish educators across the country have moved from a decoding-focused learning model to one that is dynamic like my brother’s version of dominoes. The approach is multi-faceted and embedded in a Hebrew-rich environment. A recent study found that #OnwardHebrew “All In” learners report feeling competent and confident, as well as comfortable and safe, when learning Hebrew.
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So, todah (thank you) to my brother and others who love playing dynamically with dominoes. It is my hope that those of us supporting Hebrew learning in synagogue settings will embrace the metaphor and its power.

Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz,
#OnwardHebrew