Ma nishma
, asks the teacher.
Sababa
, reply a large group of smiling teens, shuffling into class.
Hebrew language instruction has come a long way, now more modern, sophisticated, and-in Chicago-widespread than ever before.
Few school districts in this country, even those with sizeable Jewish student bodies, have traditionally offered Hebrew as part of their world language curriculum. Beachwood, Ohio; Great Neck, N.Y.; Beverly Hills, Calif.; and St. Louis Park, Minn. are notable exceptions.
But the leader among these exceptions remains Chicago, where six adjoining school districts in the northern suburbs have been growing their Hebrew language programs for well over a decade. In 2014, some 500 Chicago-area students were enrolled in public-school Hebrew language classes, said Yaffa Berman, JUF's Director of Hebrew Innovation. Today, she said, the number is over 700.
Berman, tasked with supporting public-school Hebrew teachers through professional development and increasing Hebrew language programs in suburban school districts, said that the growth is due to the quality of instruction, integration of culture, and the atmosphere of safety within the Hebrew programs. Additionally, since the October 7 Hamas attack, the momentum is particularly strong.
"JUF is committed to ever improving and expanding the teaching of modern Hebrew in area public schools," Berman said. "We're gratified by the significant progress our funding has facilitated."
Josh Morrel, an educator and administrator who started the Hebrew language program in 2010 at Glenbrook North High School (GBN), said he is seeing an uptick in the number of incoming ninth graders enrolling in Hebrew. "In an average year, 20 or 21 students sign up," he said. "For the 2024-2025 year, we have 29.
"GBN is a particularly supportive place for Hebrew students," Morrel added. Over their years of Hebrew language study at GBN, they form "a mini-community…If you're a student taking Hebrew, you're going to get individualized attention…and most likely going to be getting the same teacher all four years."
Ruth Prass, a recent graduate of Deerfield High School, which, with more than 230 enrollees, has the largest Hebrew language program in the Chicago area, agreed. Prass, beginning her freshman year at the University of Maryland, said, "After October 7, it was really meaningful to have that community."
But beyond support and comfort, Prass and others said the Hebrew language instruction has been exemplary. They and many of their peers have become so proficient in Hebrew that have been able to attain the prestigious Seal of Biliteracy, a commendation bestowed by individual states to students who have successfully passed rigorous tests assessing their proficiency. Like Advanced Placement exams, Seals of Biliteracy afford incoming college students higher education credits.
Fellow Seal recipient Josh Duby, a senior at Deerfield, noted, ironically, that he initially wanted to take Spanish when he got to high school, "but my mom and dad signed me up for Hebrew."
"In hindsight, I'm grateful," Duby continued. Studying Hebrew has given him a "wider world view" that has allowed him to see the language "connected to a culture and a region."
Likewise, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Danny Goldberg, recently named a "36 Under 36" honoree, reflects that "taking Hebrew at Deerfield High School deepened my connection to Israel and to my heritage."
That's the beauty of studying a foreign tongue, said Dr. Hanna Tzuker Seltzer, a Northwestern University professor who heads the school's Hebrew program. "Language is the conductor of everything," she said. Given the incendiary nature of today's politics, Seltzer said, learning a second language can serve as a mitigating force, providing students a more nuanced understanding of hot-button issues.
"Students are more equipped to deal with the complexities because of what they have learned and read," Seltzer said.
Suzanne Friedland, a local parent whose children studied Hebrew at Deerfield, echoed that observation. All three of her children-a recent college grad, and two college students-can "stand up with confidence and knowledge" to anti-Israel sentiment, she said.
But it's not about outside critics; rather, it's about the students inside the Hebrew classroom that truly matter. As Elana Abramson, a Hebrew language student at Glenbrook North High School senior, put it: "Hebrew is the one class where I can be my most comfortable self.
To learn more about Hebrew in the public schools, visit juf.org/teens and click on the "Community" section.
Robert Nagler Miller is a journalist and editor who writes frequently about arts- and Jewish-related topics from his home in New York.
