#ONWARD HEBREW
  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
Search

The   #OnwardHebrew   Story,   
as   told   through   the   voices  of    educational   leaders

​A number of years ago, Rabbi Nicki Greninger, one of the innovators and early adopters of #OnwardHebrew’s sound-to-print learning philosophy, shared the results of an end-of-year student survey from her synagogue’s educational program. A whopping eighty percent of the children indicated that they either liked or loved Hebrew in general, and Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) in particular. She hypothesized that prior to #OnwardHebrew, the results would have been reversed – that eighty percent of her students would have said that they disliked Hebrew. 
Picture
​Rabbi Greninger is one of over 50 (as of Fall, 2022) education directors who transformed Hebrew learning in their synagogues through #OnwardHebrew. I’m delighted to invite you to listen to the combined voices of 30 of these directors talking about their successes, as well as challenges. Most of the statements in this document were collected during one-on-one conversations in the Spring of 2022, though a few were recorded at another time and place. 

While the conversations were free-flowing, themes emerged that translated into responses to the following questions:
  • Why engage with #OnwardHebrew?
  • What goals are driving Hebrew learning in #OnwardHebrew programs?
  • In what ways has the structure for Hebrew learning changed?
  • How do directors know that #OnwardHebrew is successful?
  • What are the forces that help create #OnwardHebrew success?
  • How do teachers make a difference with #OnwardHebrew?
  • What are some successful models and strategies for t'fillah?
  • What can create hiccups with #OnwardHebrew or its elements? And, what forces can derail #OnwardHebrew?
  • What tensions or challenges have educational directors identified in implementing #OnwardHebrew?
Below you will find links to documents that contain the thoughts of the educational leaders who talked with me this past spring. An all-inclusive PDF (without special formatting or photos) may be downloaded from here. Please understand that what I'm sharing is not formal research, nor is it representative of all #OnwardHebrew voices. Rather, it offers segments of conversations that invite your consideration and reflection. Any one of the themes/questions would spark interesting discussions with clergy, committee members, teachers and parents. Feel free to bring your questions and comments to the #OnwardHebrew Facebook group.

The quotes included were reconstructed from handwritten notes – some almost word-for-word, but many were edited for clarity and to offer context. Humble apologies in advance to my colleagues whose thoughts may have been unintentionally misrepresented or not accurately remembered/recorded. Note, no one is identified by name or location.

Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz,
#OnwardHebrew, Director
Picture
1_onwardhebrew_the_why.pdf
File Size: 723 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
2_onwardhebrew_structural_changes.pdf
File Size: 695 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
3_onwardhebrew_how_know_successful.pdf
File Size: 514 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
4_onwardhebrew_success_forces.pdf
File Size: 878 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
5_onwardhebrew_teachers.pdf
File Size: 955 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
6_onwardhebrew_tfillah.pdf
File Size: 786 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
7_onwardhebrew_hiccups.pdf
File Size: 763 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
8_onwardhebrew_challenges_tensions.docx.pdf
File Size: 785 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
9_onwardhebrew_-_conversation_guide.pdf
File Size: 580 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact