N
Detroiters Slate
Mideast Visit . . . .
Synagogue
Listings
Crash course in Hebrew reading is o Bred locally.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter
hen my kids started .
Hebrew school, I decided
that if I thought it was
important for them to
study Judaism and learn Hebrew, I
should learn it, too," says Dr. Earl
Bogrow of Huntington Woods, who
last studied basic Hebrew as a youth.
He signed up for the National
Jewish Outreach Program's Read
Hebrew America/Canada project,
becoming one of 15,000 students
nationwide who will study Hebrew
text this year through the program.
Dr. Bogrow has been learning this
fall with Rabbi Elazar Meisels of the
Dirshu Institute of Torah Education
in Oak Park.
Now in its fifth year, the Read
Hebrew America program is the out-
reach group's most ambitious effort
yet at motivating unaffiliated and
marginally involved Jews to reconnect
with their heritage through Hebrew
literacy. Designed for Jews with little
or no background in Hebrew, the pro-
gram concentrates on Hebrew alpha-
W
Related editorial: page 29
bet and reading skills in its Level I
class and advanced Hebrew reading
and comprehension skills in Level II.
"More and more Jews haven't been
attending synagogue because they're
lost when it comes to reading the sid-
dur (prayer book)," says Dassie
Hochheiser-Fuchs, a former Detroiter
who is regional program director for
NJOP in New York. "The purpose of
the classes is to get the Jews back into
the synagogue, to be able to read the
language of our people."
Michigan synagogues in towns
from Jackson to East Lansing and
Traverse City to West Bloomfield are
among the 735 sites across North
America offering the classes this fall.
The five-week courses are offered at
no charge, with NJOP underwriting
the cost of the classes and materials.
The program has reached 165,000
people so far, and organizers expect
that in 15 to 20 years, it will have
taught 1 million Jews to read Hebrew.
Where To Go
While some Michigan synagogues,
like Oa k Park-based Machon
L'Torah, have led Hebrew-reading pro-
grams for several years, others are
from the synagogue to their homes,
jumping on the bandwagon for the
where they will be able to say prayers
first time.
for holidays and Shabbat," he says.
"After many requests, we felt it was
"And I'm sure Passover will become a
time to do something many people
whole different experience."
could benefit from," says Rabbi
The rabbi's plan is for students to
Yochanan Polter of the Birmingham
Bloomfield Chai Center, who will lead
LANGUAGE on page 56
classes at the Baldwin Public Library
in Birmingham.
"The class is for anyone
who always wanted to
learn Hebrew, however,
did not want to spend
weeks or months at it," he
UpcoMing five-week NJOP Hebrew-reading
says.
. classes for adults are offered through:
His hope is that his stu-
• Birmineiam Bloomfield Chai Center
dents "will become more
(classes at Baldwin Public Librarj!
involved in their syna-
Birmingham):
gogue experience, be able
Level I, 7 p.m., beginning Monday; Nov. 25
to participate in services
Level II, 7 p.m., beginning Tuesday, Nov. 26
and perhaps even pray on
Information: Rabbi Yochanan Polter (248)
their own."
203-6721 or e-mail:
"I think a lot of
Rabbi@TheChaiCenter.org
avenues will be open to
• Keter Torah Synagogue
those who take both levels
(classes at the synagogue in Wi'st Bloomfield):
of classes," says another
Level I, class completed
local instructor, Rabbi
Level II, 7 p.m. beginning Monday, Nov. 25,
Michael Cohen of Keter
register by Monday, Nov. 18
Torah Synagogue.
Information: Keter Torah Synagogue (248)
"They will be a lot
788-1006.
more confident in any
Hebrew-reading situation,
11/15
2002
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