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.
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:
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
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?
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
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