Learning Hebrew

R. is learning to read and speak modern Hebrew in kindergarten and she loves it. She has about 10 minutes of Hebrew reading homework Monday through Thursday, and after three months is just beginning to read consonant/vowel combinations phonetically. All the kids in the class are at different levels with their Hebrew reading at this point, as it should be. They are only 5 yrs old.

R. has already used her Hebrew. When we were in Ft. Lauderdale over Thanksgiving break we stopped in a beachwear shop to buy her flip flops. The owner of the store was an Israeli woman and I was speaking to her in my rusty Hebrew . I asked R. (with whom I never speak Hebrew) what color flip flops she wants "Eze tzeva?" and R. answered "adom" (red). The store owner was just blown away. Perhaps she was too easily impressed, but she was so excited about this little American girl learning Hebrew that she ignored all of her other customers for almost 10 minutes and then threw in a stuffed animal and a mini-license plate with R's name on it as a gift.

"They" (the experts) say that learning a second language is terrific for the young brain. I'm pleased that we've been able to send her to a school that teaches a second language that is also meaningful to us as Jews. She will use it every time she attends a religious service and, G-d willing, when we take a family trip to Israel one day. One thing's for sure. When R. finds herself in an Israeli owned store again, I am sure that our little fashionista and stuffed animal aficionado will use whatever Hebrew she can to receive good service.