It is one thing to know how to read from a book or memorize the laws of grammar but quite another to feel comfortable actually speaking conversational Ivrit. But that is exactly what teachers in the JEC’s Lower School division were charged to do, and they found creative ways to engage their students in modern conversational Hebrew. Beginning in the Early Childhood division, students were familiarized with Hebrew terms through the Chalav U’Dvash Hebrew immersion program developed by the Jewish Agency, and a curriculum that builds upon progress up through the Lower School and beyond.

“Ivrit is the language of our people,” exclaimed Rabbi Uzi Beer, principal of the JEC Lower Division, passionately when asked about the program. “It is the language of our heritage and the language of our future. It connects us to the Torah and other sources as well as with our brothers and sisters in other countries.”

“Acquiring a language is only truly accomplished through an immersion experience,” he continued. “By experiencing Ivrit and hearing it on a day to day basis, students will feel comfortable conversing in the language of our people and in the home of our people.”