Posts Tagged Hebrew

Dr. Seuss and More Teach Hebrew!

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Knowledge, Publishing on November 25, 2009

Children have some of the best books! Think about it. They get cool illustrations and great stories, all in about twenty pages or less. Even better, children’s books have the best messages. Having taken a class in college on children’s literature, I’ve grown to really appreciate the wide variety of stories out there geared towards kids.

Source: Amazon.comSo, what could be better than a children’s book? A children’s book in Hebrew!

During a book fair held at my synagogue a few weeks ago, I noticed a copy of The Giving Tree for sale on a display table. Well, I love this book, so it should come as no surprise that I decided to go look at it. Upon arriving at the table, I was surprised to see that the book was entirely in Hebrew! The combination was unexpected (although it shouldn’t have been since it was a book fair at my synagogue!).

Leafing through the pages of the beloved classic, I started to wonder. Are there others like this? The answer is yes! While browsing the web, I came Source: Amazon.comacross a site that sells a bunch of famous children’s books in Hebrew. It had everything from Dr. Seuss to Curious George to Madeleine to Frog and Toad to Where the Wild Things Are to Goodnight Moon. The selection was awesome.

You might be thinking, why would I ever buy these books when I can go get them in English? I understand that not everyone has Source: Amazon.comthe same crazy passion for books that I have. And, I’m secretly a kid at heart, so children’s books really appeal to me. But, imagine how much you could learn from these books! What better way to learn some Hebrew than through your favorite stories. The dialogue is basic (it’s meant for kids), and since you know the story, you can get the gist of what’s being said.

So, if you’re looking for a way to spice up your reading life and learn something new, this is it! You can find most of these books through Amazon, so have fun exploring!

-Sarah

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What is a Jewish Word?

Posted by Sarah in Jewish Books, JPS Books on November 17, 2009

This article by Joyce Eisenberg  & Ellen Scolnic is crossposted from Interfaithfamily.com.

When a sportscaster on local network news reports that a baseball player has a lot of chutzpah asking for a salary increase, you know that Jewish words have made their way into mainstream conversation. “It represents the integration of Jews and Judaism into American culture,” says Rabbi Robert Rubin of Congregation Adath Israel in Merion, Pennsylvania. “When different peoples and cultures live together, words are often borrowed from one language to another.” But not everyone knows what all these different words mean. What is a “Jewish” word anyway? Judaism is a religion and a culture. How can a word be Jewish?

Dictionary of Jewish Words: A JPS GuideIt’s a question we debated for more than a year, as we compiled a list of 1,400 words to include in our book, The Dictionary of Jewish Words: A JPS Guide. We defined “Jewish words” –whether Hebrew, Yiddish, English, or even one Hungarian word–as those associated with some aspect of Jewish life: holidays, rituals, life-cycle events, prayer, modern Israel and food, of course.

We wrote the dictionary for people like us. We’re Jewish moms, married to nice Jewish guys, raising Jewish kids. We’re both published writers, editors and researchers, but we’re not fluent in Hebrew and we’re not scholars or rabbis. Although we consider ourselves fairly knowledgeable and moderately observant, we kept coming across unfamiliar Jewish words. For example, when the flyer came home from Hebrew school asking us to participate in Mitzvah Day, we knew what tzedakah projects (raising money for charitable causes) were, but we were unsure about derekh eretz (respect for peers).

To continue reading, visit Interfaithfamily.com!

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