By Lily Yacobi and Diana Yacobi

 

 

Mazal tov! Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Shabbat Shalom,

Shanah Tovah, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, yizkor, siddur, challah,

 

 Did you realize that you know so many Hebrew words?  Now, would you like to read them in Hebrew?  We’re here to get you started using a new approach that will be as much fun for you as it is for your child. The Aleph Bet Story wraps each Hebrew letter in a whimsical story and colorful picture. And we're going to teach MJM.com readers some of the wonderful ideas from our book.  Once you’ve learned the letter gimel, you’ll never forget it!!

As you begin to think about school, you may be wondering when to introduce your child to Hebrew reading.  Children can be introduced to the letters during the pre-school years, just as they are introduced to the English letters.  Actual reading, in which children begin to string together letters and vowels, can begin in first grade.  In general, if your child has no difficulties learning to read English, there will be no problem introducing Hebrew reading as well.  Otherwise it can wait until second or third grade.  The first step is getting used to the right to left direction, which is the opposite of English. A simple exercise in which an arrow is drawn across the page going from right to left, aimed at a target is a good way to get started.  Children of any age however, can be introduced to whole words like shalom and Shabbat (check out your challah cover!)

Here’s a “before school starts” idea for learning the aleph bet from The Aleph Bet Story.  Did you know that Hebrew letters have special features?  Look for:

 

• Corners or curves
• Openings or closings
• Dots, arms, legs, toes or tails

 

Let’s look at the letters in shana, the Hebrew word for year.  You hear it in the New Year’s words, Rosh Hashana and Shana Tovah.  What special features does each letter have? Starting on the right, the first letter is shin. Shin has three arms up in the air (hands up!) and a dot on the right that gives shin the ‘sh’ sound.  The second letter, nun, has a short top and a short bottom that sits on the line.  The last letter, hey, has one leg connected to its top and the left leg is broken (ouch!).  Like the gimel, each of these letters has its own story and picture in The Aleph Bet Story.

 

                                                    

 

 

When you look for New Year’s cards and prepare for the holiday together with your children, see how many times you find the word shana written in Hebrew letters. Now you’re reading Hebrew!

L’Shana Tova! To a Good New Year

To learn what Chag Sameach means click here!

(To learn more and to purchase The Aleph Bet Story go to www.sarahdavid.com)

 

 

 

Lily Yacobi

 

Lily Yacobi is the founder of Sarah and David Interactive, a Jewish educational media company specializing in Hebrew reading, writing and language.  Lily founded the company in 2004 after spending several years tutoring tens of children (and their siblings and their parents) to prepare them for Bar/Bat Mitzvah.  While having lunch with the mother of one of her students, Lily mentioned the idea of sharing her teaching method with children everywhere.  The mother’s eyes lit up…and Lily knew she was on to something.

 

Diana Yacobi

 

Diana Yacobi co-founded of Sarah and David Interactive and has created the Sarah and David  program for Hebrew reading, writing and language together with her daughter, Lily. 

With a Master’s degree in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and years as educational director in synagogue schools, Diana’s world has been about creating curriculum, working with teachers and making Jewish education enjoyable for students. Over the years, helping students succeed with Hebrew reading became one of her passions, since students spend many years working on the process.  Sarah and David was a natural extension of curricula she had piloted in her schools.

As a product of synagogue school education and later as a professional, Diana has published a number of articles on topics related to supplementary Jewish education.  Her professional goals continue to be creating curricula, materials and techniques that will ensure the success of both teachers and students involved in the synagogue school system.

Currently Educational Director of the Religious School at Temple Emanu-el in Closter, New Jersey, she is a member of the Jewish Educators Assembly (JEA), The Network for Research in Jewish Education, and the Coalition for Advancement in Jewish Education (CAJE), and has served as a presenter at several CAJE conferences. 

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