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Repeat After Me!

Missionaires get a taste of the native tongue.

RUTH LITTMANN STAFF WRITER

Ms. Lev, a native Is-
raeli, spent dozens of
hours last winter
recording a curriculum
of basic Hebrew ex-
pressions: I am hun-
gry. I am tired. I want
to sleep. I want coffee.
I want tea.
Too demanding? Try
a different repertoire:
shim-kha?
Ma
(What's your name?)
Toda raba. (Thank
you very much.)
And if you're really
desperate: Yesh li na-
ze'let. (I have a runny
nose.)
On the tape, Ms.
Lev enunciates the
phrases and asks her
students to repeat af-
ter her. At certain
points, she offers
grammatical explana-

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crash course?
There's got to be a bet-
ter way of describing the
new Hebrew program for
900 Detroiters flying to Israel via
two El Al jets this month. Let's
try something else.
A Taste Of Hebrew?
Much better.
"A Taste Of Hebrew" is an au-
dio cassette produced by the
Midrasha Center for Adult Jew-
ish Learning in Southfield. The
90-minute tape gives travelers to
Israel a leg up before they leave.
The goal: to learn those He-
brew phrases and idioms useful
for getting around. A perk: trav-
elers will experience more of Is-
rael's flavor through knowledge
of the native tongue.
True, most Israelis speak and
understand English. Nobody will
be too horribly puzzled if a Mis-
sion participant stops a passerby
in Jerusalem and articulates
slowly, dearly: Where is the near-
est public restroom?
On the other hand, veteran
travelers believe there's much to
say for speaking the language our
ancestors spoke. There's just
something about conversing in
Hebrew that makes a fabulous
trip to Israel all that much bet-
ter.
"The main thing is, it makes
you feel more at home," says Nira
Lev, director of the Hebrew In-
teractive Learning Center at the
Agency for Jewish Education. "If
you know some of the language,
it makes such a difference in how
you relate to the land."

May 7 to 17), Ms. Lev had hoped
some people on this communi-
tywide, Federation- and Jewish
News-sponsored trip would
study up before they go.
In fact, many have.
One hundred cassettes and
booklets have been sold. Orders
are still coming in. The package
costs $10, postage and handling
included.

Toda raba. (Thank
you very much.)

On April 19, more than two
dozen people showed up for a
free workshop during which Ms.
Lev stressed the importance of
customizing one's vocabulary.
Since there is simply no way to
achieve fluency in a week, a
month (hey, let's face it, even in
a year), students are encouraged
to learn words most rele-
vant to their own lives.
You don't need to memo-
rize "A-ni be-dy-e'ta" (I am
on a diet), if you aren't. You
don't need to practice "A-ni
o-khe'let rak o-khel ka-
sher" (I eat only kosher
food), if you don't observe
Jewish dietary laws.
Judy and Jeffrey Leder
from Adat Shalom Syna-
gogue will be traveling on
the mission with their two
sons, Brian and Eric. The
family plans on using "A
Taste of Hebrew" during
their 11-hour flight to Israel
this Sunday. Other Mis-
The tape covers the basics.
sionaires have been playing it in
their car, en route to work, and
in their homes while folding
tions. In back of a supplemen- laundry and cooking meals.
"I think it's fabulous," Ms.
tary booklet, there are the
Hebrew and transliterated Leder says. ❑
words for Hatikva, "The Hope,"
which is Israel's national an-
e To order "A Taste Of He-
brew," call Nancy Kaplan at
them.
the Midrasha Center for Adult
Although the cassette and
Jewish Learning, (810) 354-
booklet were not geared exclu-
sively to travelers on the Michi-
1050.
gan Miracle Mission (coming up

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All material must be typewritten, double-spaced, on 8 1 /2 x 11
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