Hebrew Literacy: Sine Qua Non for Synagogue Involvement

by Norman Kurtz

The lack of familiarity with Hebrew continues to be a significant challenge for Conservative Jews, with fewer than half of those in attendance at Shabbat morning services feeling comfortable praying in Hebrew. The Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs has recognized that unless we act now, the next generation will lose what little Hebrew vocabulary our generation has retained, and that potential loss threatens the survival of our movement.

This inability to read and understand Hebrew poses an immediate and personal problem. It impedes our taking part fully in Jewish life. Our services call for active davening. When in shul, we each yearn to participate in the performance of the service; we each seek to realize the passion of prayer. How can meaningful participation be achieved and desired passion be realized if we cannot read the language? Indeed, our central ritual object, the Torah, is a scroll written in Hebrew. Our focus is the Hebrew word, and if we are not comfortable with Hebrew we will not be comfortable with the service. We will not be able to welcome those who enter our doors to join our community, whether as converts or as non-Jewish significant others of our members, if we cannot demonstrate an energetic spiritual vitality that can be achieved only by a shared knowledge of the Hebrew language.

English cannot replace the richness of Hebrew and all the associations it carries. If we do not know Hebrew, we will be reluctant to attend services in which we cannot fully participate. We then are less likely to get involved in Jewish life; our children are less likely to find a place that they can call a spiritual home.

With Hebrew an integral part of our services and rituals, Hebrew literacy is essential. As we in the Conservative movement stress the need for keruv (outreach) and the desire to bring both Jews and non-Jews involved with Jews into the shul and into our communities, we cannot expect these newcomers to understand and participate in the ritual of synagogue life unless we make Hebrew literacy a primary objective of our educational programming.

The FJMC Hebrew Literacy program makes Hebrew literacy attainable. In the 1970s, the FJMC developed the first broadbased adult education Hebrew literacy program in the movement; it was based on the concept of laypeople teaching one another. Since then, more than 200,000 people throughout North America have learned to read Hebrew.

The purpose of the Hebrew Literacy program is to counteract the negative images created by past experiences. Traditional methods of teaching Hebrew reading have given Hebrew a reputation as irrelevant, difficult, and boring. The FJMC believes that everyone can develop the confidence and pride that develops from a familiarity with synagogue prayers. Attaining Hebrew reading skills opens the door to an appreciation for the prayer service, rituals and traditions not before realized. The result will be a renewed level of spirituality and ability to understand how kavanah (passion) is part of the Jewish prayer experience. The FJMC promotes its Hebrew Literacy program not simply because of our love of the language but because we believe the ability to read Hebrew is key to continuity and to the survival of the Jewish people and the Conservative movement.