Hebrew: Who Needs It?
By Dr. Jonathan Paradise
Associate Professor of Hebrew, University of Minnesota

We are living and witnessing one of the most spectacular events in Jewish cultural history: The revival and flowering of Hebrew as a spoken language after centuries of restricted use. Each year sees an outpouring of poetry, essays, novels, and published research in an astonishing array of fields.

The outpouring of Hebrew creativity is of avalanche proportions. University libraries around the world spend many, many thousands of dollars each year for new acquisitions, to keep up with the pace of publication. Hebrew is alive, full of vitality, adding and consolidating new vocabularies and idioms at an ever-accelerating pace. Indeed, the revival of Hebrew culture ranks among the greatest achievements of modern Jewish History.

Yet what would we Jews in the United States know of all of these truly epoch-making developments if we were to look at our own Jewish communities' use of Hebrew in the public sector? If we were to examine ourselves, much as a visiting anthropologist studies and analyzes a foreign culture?

We might begin by asking, "What are the roles Hebrew plays in the life of an average American Jewish child and especially in the eyes of typical parents?" What situations occur—either frequent or occasional—where the knowledge of the Hebrew language is brought into play? What rewards does Jewish society extend or deny persons on the basis of their competence in the Hebrew language?

The answers to these questions and the others which could be posed by our hypothetical "anthropologist" are crucial. For it is those answers that will determine the degree to which members of the society regard the task of Hebrew language acquisition as an important one. If Hebrew is important—in the "real world"—then time, effort, and resources become "worthwhile" investments. And if Hebrew is considered trivial or of marginal importance, the reverse will be true.

The sad fact is that the Hebrew language is of marginal importance in most sectors of the American Jewish Community. Among the various "mitzvot" observed by the sub-sets of organized Jewry— philanthropic activity, support for Israel, observance of Sabbath and festivals, kashrut, service to synagogue and federation—the study and use of Hebrew as a means of communication, as a Jewish Language, does not rank low in the list of the cardinal duties of Jew. It is not even on the list.

This being the case, it should surprise no one that competence in the spoken or written language is rare among lay persons in the American Jewish community. After all, why should anyone invest the time and effort required to learn skills that are useless? And for the present, Hebrew knowledge is useless. The most that is required (in some quarters) is alphabet training: i.e., the ability to decode the phonetic value of the symbols without regard for meaning. This, so that the person may recite the prayers at an acceptable pace.

Now, it is not an easy task these days to get people to derive satisfaction from rote recitation of meaningless sounds, It is natural to resist it. Nor is it an easy task to master the "reading" of lengthy texts when you lack the essential elements of meaning, logic, and the expectations

provided by grammar and idiom. But more to the point here is the fact that limiting the public role of Hebrew to ritual and liturgy provides little incentive for learning Hebrew as a language.

I once described to a professor of ESL (English as a Second Language) the phenomenon of "Hebrew School" graduates who have attended anywhere from five to ten years but have not learned to understand or speak the language. Her only comment: "They must not have needed to."

Who are the adults who express the need to learn to speak Hebrew by enrolling in an Ulpan course? Are they not, in large part, people who acquired a strong motive after a visit in Israel or who are planning a visit or aliyah? Who are the youngsters who are still studying Hebrew after their Bar/Bat Mitzvah? Often they are members of an organization that utilizes Hebrew in its activities, alumni of a Hebrew summer camp, or persons who have participated in a trip to Israel. In other words, when people encounter the real language, they suddenly develop a need to know.

The necessity of creating a "need" for Hebrew is the central thesis of this essay. Until we change that fact of reality, Hebrew teachers in the United States will continue engaging in non-functional education. Not because of the methods or the curricula that are used, but because, in the context that we find ourselves in, Hebrew is not perceived as a particularly useful and necessary "commodity." This fact, more than any other, is at the root of the unhappy situation in Hebrew Education.

We need to change drastically the image and the roles given to the Hebrew language in the Diaspora. We must do things in public settings that stimulate, motivate, and enhance Hebrew study, Our goal must be to demonstrate that knowledge of Hebrew is useful, psychically rewarding, desirable, and socially acceptable. Above all, we must create conditions which make some knowledge of Hebrew necessary for full participation in certain areas/aspects of Jewish communal life. If we can manage to introduce the need for Hebrew in enough areas, we will have done the trick.

What follows are some suggestions for making Hebrew one of the "identity badges" that we wear as Jews. Many of the suggestions involve a passive or rather, a "receptive" use of Hebrew. Through visual or aural stimulation we gradually acquire skills in recognition of words and phrases. I make no claim for originality in these suggestions, Most, if not all, have been implemented at one time or another.

• Community buildings, synagogues can use Hebrew signs along with the English signs that already exist, For example: "Men," "Women." "Bulletin Board," "Push/Pull," "Quiet Please," "No Smoking," "Welcome," "Kipot/ Talitot," "Library," "Office," "Auditorium," "Swimming Pool," "Snack Bar."

• Printed Programs of concerts, order of services, menus of communal dinners, etc. should be bi-lingual.

• Certificates of awards should include a Hebrew text.

• Manufacturers of foods and other products should be encouraged to include Hebrew Versions of the contents and directions for use.

• Greater encouragement should be given to individuals and organizations to print the invitations to social events, weddings and bar-mitzvahs in Hebrew.

• Hebrew Songs. Singing and/or poetry can be made a part of board meetings, club events (adult and youth), Rabbinical Assembly meetings, Federation meetings, school faculty meetings and study groups, There is no more effective vehicle for combining language, cultural and ideological values, and emotional attachment than songs, Moreover, these songs seem to be immortal, After years of not singing a particular song, we are able to recall text and melody.

• Encourage groups to sponsor evenings of Hebrew singing and dancing.

• Introduce the use of Hebrew in Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, and Wedding ceremonies and celebrations. Both the children and the wedding couple might make short speeches in Hebrew. In both ceremonies, the Rabbi might deliver part of his "charge" to the child or couple in Hebrew.

• Hebrew Naming Events. What is more basic to one's self-identity than a name? The fact that booklets of Hebrew names with their meaning are not freely distributed as part of a program to encourage the use of Jewish names is absurd! One of our synagogues adopted a novel approach. They organized a "Hebrew Name Night". Everyone was given a name tag with his/her name written on it. Those who didn't know their name were given the opportunity to choose a Hebrew Name. The Hebrew names were entered in the synagogue records.

• Celebration of Hebrew birthdays on the Hebrew date

• Activities Involving Intensive, but non-intimidating Listening. On special occasions part of all of a speaker's remarks should be delivered in Hebrew. It is essential that the remarks that are spoken in English not be a translation or restatement of the Hebrew. The reason for this is that there has to be some "gain" realized by knowing Hebrew. Appropriate settings for Hebrew remarks are "greetings" or short speeches at banquets, bar-mitzvah speeches, toasts, portions of sermons.

• Invite Israeli Youth to visit with students talk with them in Hebrew.

• Hebrew plays and concerts by Israeli rock, pop groups, comedians, etc., to demonstrate that the breadth and vitality of Hebrew culture is not restricted to sacred and intellectual spheres.

• Opportunities for speaking Hebrew could include a Hebrew picnic, Hebrew skit night, an all-Hebrew social dance, a hike, sleigh ride, etc.

• A Hebrew version of the " French Contest" (An inter-city, all day conclave of French students who present musical., dramatic, debates, and other cultural activities in a competitive and social framework.) A Hebrew essay/ poetry contest.

• Merit badges, award pins and other prizes for Hebrew Excellence,

Whom Does Hebrew "Belong" To?

The point is a rather obvious one, but it needs to be pointed out that if modern Hebrew is to be a unifying force among the Jewish people, it cannot be perceived as the private domain of the State of Israel. If modern Hebrew, with the "sephardic" pronunciation is seen as the exclusive emblem of Israelis (in some outdated quarters, even seen as belonging to "secular" Israelis—as illogical as this may be) or alternatively, learning Hebrew is seen as the practice of persons destined to make aliyah, then it can be dismissed by all others.

Modern Hebrew culture, Hebrew language, living and spoken, should be recognized as a natural component of being Jewish. The knowledge of the language and ability to use it with ease should be seen as an indispensable adjunct of a fuller and more meaningful Jewish life, To be sure, this attitude further emphasizes the central and creative role played by the State of Israel for Jewish creativity, It makes study and living in Israel even more important, It encourages a close following of Israeli cultural development throughout world Jewry.