JUNE 29 • 2023 | 25
A
ccording to a survey
by the Pew Research
Center, only half of
American Jews (52%) can
read Hebrew. To fill this gap
in Jewish education, the Rohr
Jewish Learning Institute
(JLI) has developed Read It in
Hebrew, an innovative Hebrew
reading course.
With interactive flashcards
and its own app for remote
learning, Read It in Hebrew
uses the latest technology to
combine timeless learning
methods with contemporary
psychology for a course guar-
anteed to be effective in only
five sessions.
Read it in Hebrew
was piloted in just five
communities in 2016. Since
then, it’s been taught at
more than 600
locations across
North America,
enabling more than
6,000 people to
read Hebrew — and
interest is building.
In Salt Lake City,
Utah, a city with a
relatively small Jewish
community, the
course has run three
times to increasingly large
classes. The instructor, Rabbi
Avremi Zippel, also teaches it
to Birthright participants as
a follow-up for their trips to
Israel and online to people
in four time zones. In Stony
Brook, New York,
more than 40 students
enrolled as soon as
the flyers went out.
Rabbi Shalom Ber
Cohen, Stony Brook JLI
instructor, is delighted
to announce a rerun of
the course soon.
“The popularity of
Read It in Hebrew
suggests that it meets
a deeply felt need,” said Rabbi
Menachem Caytak of Chabad
Jewish Center of Troy. “Many
feel lost in synagogue simply
because they don’t know how
to read Hebrew. Learning to
read Hebrew strengthens one’s
connection to Judaism and the
Jewish people in a powerful
way.”
Read It in Hebrew appeals
to people at all levels of Jewish
education, including those
without any prior experience
in Jewish learning as well
as those for whom it is a
fun refresher course. With
flashcards depicting the letters
alongside catchy mnemonics,
Read It in Hebrew feels like a
game of concentration. And
students also get a glimpse
of the profound depth of the
Hebrew language, including
brief Talmudic and Kabbalistic
explanations of the letters.
Enrollment is open to the
public, and attendees need not
be affiliated with a synagogue,
temple or other house of
worship.
The Hebrew reading course
will begin Wednesday, July
5, from 7-8:30 p.m. and
continue for five consecutive
Wednesdays at the Chabad
Jewish Center of Troy, located
at 3306 Auburn Road in
Auburn Hills. Cost is $50 and
includes flashcards and the
app.
Interested students may
call (248) 873-5851 or visit
jewishtroy.com/hebrew for
registration and for other
course-related information.
Five-Week Hebrew Reading
Course Coming to Troy Chabad
JN STAFF
Rabbi Menachem
Caytak
CANTOR SAMUEL
GREENBAUM
— Certified Mohel —
855ABoy@gmail.com
Office: (248) 547-7970
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