Mondays, beginning August 13, 7 pm, Simon Family JCC
The Simon Family JCC is offering a free Hebrew Reading Crash Course that is designed to teach those with no basic knowledge of Hebrew how to read the language in five easy lessons—just in time to be better prepared for High Holiday services.
An estimated four million American Jews are not affiliated with any religious denomination or institution. For many, the inability to read Hebrew and understand synagogue services is an effective barrier to active participation in Jewish life. By teaching them to read Hebrew and making them feel comfortable in synagogues, NJOP, sponsor of the Hebrew Reading Crash Course, hopes to open the door to Jewish growth and commitment for previously uninvolved or marginally affiliated Jews.
“The Hebrew Reading Crash Course opened a new dimension in my life,” says Larry Diamond, a Manhattan businessman. “Before the Crash Course, I rarely set foot inside a synagogue except for weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. I felt like a fish out of water because I couldn’t even read the writing over the holy ark. Thanks to NJOP, I now attend synagogue every Sabbath, and I am overjoyed that I can pray along with the rest of the congregation in the original Hebrew text.”
The five-week Hebrew Reading Crash Course is geared toward “Jewish beginners,” as well as those who feel left out during synagogue services, unable to follow or appreciate the liturgy. The course begins with learning the Hebrew alphabet and covers basic reading skills, preparing participants to read and understand the prayer book and other Jewish texts. Those who complete the course will be able to read Hebrew and gain a rudimentary understanding of the prayers in their original language.
Classes will be taught by Rabbi Sender Haber of B’nai Israel. For more information or to reserve a seat for the class, call 757- 321-2304 or email Meichelbaum@ujft.org.
Hebrew Reading Crash Course
Simon Family JCC
- August 13
- August 20
- August 27
- September 4
- September 12
NJOP was established in 1987 by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald. NJOP offers free programs at more than 5,000 locations across North America and in 41 countries worldwide. Through programs such as Shabbat Across America and Canada and Read Hebrew America and Canada, NJOP has successfully reached more than 1,600,500 North American Jews, and engaged them in Jewish life.