Learn Hebrew!

I don't know why I never mentioned this before, but perhaps the best way to involve yourself with Israel and/or your Jewish roots is to learn the language of the Jewish people: Hebrew.  Perhaps you have picked up a few words from reading my posts or looking at my Israeli Military Jargon page.  But I was quite thrilled when a friend of mine made it clear that I can offer readers a way to actually learn the language.  He works for the Jerusalem Post and recently introduced me to the company's program to teach Hebrew.  He requested I mention it on my blog, which, as you can see, I have done so below.  I took a lesson and found it worthwhile.  While my Hebrew has greatly improved in the past year and a half, the teacher, in only a short fifteen minute lesson, was still able to offer pointers on improving my cadence, diction and accent.  It certainly seems to be a useful way to learn Hebrew.

What follows is the Jerusalem Post and my friend's description of the program.  The writing is theirs.

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Why do we need an instructor to improve our Hebrew skills?

Well, can you imagine flying a plane without first taking flying lessons?  I know this is an extreme example…but still, you would never attempt flying a plane without getting the proper instruction first. This is because it would be very important for you to do it right: naturally, you would want to stay alive  

The question is really this: what sort of a connection to Judaism, the Jewish people, and Israel do you want to have?  From this question, you can ask: how important is it to learn Hebrew? How important is it for you to feel connected to your Jewish roots, to Israel and to the Jewish world in general? How close is this goal to your heart?

If you feel the desire to become more connected, then the Hebrew language is something you do want to learn and improve.  Here are a few steps you should follow in order to achieve maximum results:

1. You must begin with knowing your Hebrew level: note what mistakes you make and what processes (systems, exercises) will suit your competency best. This is important in order to understand what is required to reach your desired proficiency level.

2. You need someone who will work with you; someone who will know your weak and strong points and who will focus on what you need to do to improve and how to do so. 

3. This "someone" must be a professional who has years of experience in teaching Hebrew as a foreign language and who is able to demonstrate good results with past pupils. 

4. You need to be committed and to closely follow the instructions given to you by this person.

5. You need also to constantly repeat the new ideas and concepts you learn from your teacher. If you take a lesson or two once every couple months you will not see results and the process may prove frustrating. But if you commit to a lesson a week and during that week work on assigned exercises, that would be very productive!

The Jerusalem Post is a company established 80 years ago and has recently created a revolutionary program called IVRIT-TALK which is composed of all the above steps and more. 

This program consists of online private Hebrew lessons with professional teachers. Initiated in February 2011, the program has already more than 900 happy subscribers.

What could be better than having a professional teacher calling you on pre-arranged times that you have scheduled in advance, at your convenience? What could be more instructive than a one-on-one session where the teacher concentrates solely on you? 

The teachers taking part in the program not only speak fluent English and Hebrew but they are also calling you from Israel (by telephone or Skype).  It does not matter where you live; irrespective of location, our teachers will contact you at your convenience, mainly through an internet connection, such as Skype.

Having someone to speak with in Hebrew (irrespective of his or her proficiency level) is necessary when wanting to learn and mantain a foreign language.

If you are able to dedicate at least 1-2 hours a week, please send an email to Naomi@jpost.com, Subject: Attention Leon, with your details (first and last name and a contact number) and I will contact you as soon as possible and we'll find out together if this program is something that can really help you.

Recent testimonials from happy subscribers:

"I have just finished my tenth IvritTalk session, and I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy and value IvritTalk. These 20-minute sessions are a very worthwhile use of my time and investment of my money. You have trained the IvritTalk staff extremely well! They really know how to pack a lot of learning into a 20-minute session, and they are incredibly friendly and warm at the same time. Truly, kol hakavod to you for such a great program!"

Steve,
Massachusetts, USA

"I am enrolled in the Ivrit program, and although I have only had one lesson, my interest in your beautiful language has been renewed. I worked with Tali on Monday and she was very helpful and very encouraging. I am working again on the Alefbet and also on the vowel points. Just for your info, this study helps me in my Sunday school classes every week. My class this week includes psalm (Mizmor) 133 and I have been looking at it in Ivrit and that pushes me even more to get the message of unity out to those in my class."

Jerry
Mississippi, USA