Goals:

• The participants will learn about the importance and meaning of the Hebrew language.
• The participants will clarify the significance of the Hebrew language for non-native speakers.

The activity order:

1. Introduction – Hebrew as an ancient language.
2. Game- The resurrection of the Hebrew language.
3. Discussion.
4. The Modern Hebrew song.
5. Midrash – They didn’t change their names.
6. Conclusion and creating a “name” in Hebrew.

The activity leader will scatter cards on the floor that display different modern languages: English, Russian, French, German, Arabic, Swedish, Dutch. 

Ask the group who can say five words in one of the languages and ask whoever claims to be able to do so to volunteer to say them.

After that, scatter cards on the floor displaying different ancient languages: Ugaritic, Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Latin, Aramaic and Hebrew. 

This time, we ask whoever can say five words in one of the languages to stand up and say them, with the expectation being that only Hebrew will be (slightly) familiar to the participants.

After the game, the leader should ask one of the participants to read what is written on the card “The Hebrew Language” 

Hebrew is an ancient language, and it should not be taken for granted that it is used today as a modern language in a developed country. The revival of Hebrew involved a significant struggle that we will touch upon later.

The leader should split the group into two and give each group an identical piece of text that speaks about the revival of the Hebrew language, including explanations and arguments for and against the revival of the language (enclosed as a separate file)

After each group reads the text, they need to formulate arguments, to persuade the other group that their side is right.

The groups will hold a changing discussion- each time, one representative from each group will hold a discussion with a representative from the other group and will try to persuade him why we need to revive/not revive the Hebrew language.

Each time the leader claps, the representatives will change places with another person from their group.

At the end of the discussion, the leader will go over all the arguments raised during the discussion with the participants. 

For example:

Against: Hebrew is a holy language, and it is not right to use it for anything that is not prayer and learning. 

If Hebrew will be revived it will be ruined. 

It will no longer be the beautiful, ancient Hebrew that was spoken in the times of the Bible!

For: For the Jewish people to live as a normal people, they need a country and a language. 

There is no nation that does not have a language of its own, and until the Jewish people has a language of its own, it will be defined as a part of the other nations that it lives amongst.

The Hebrew language is an inseparable part of the Jewish people. Even when Jewish people are living in different countries and are connected to different cultures and languages, they have a language that belongs only to them- Hebrew.

The Hebrew language, unlike other languages, is far more than just words. It expresses deep ideas and has many layers of meaning. The Hebrew language represents a connection to tradition, Torah, holiness, Jewish social solidarity and, due to its uniqueness, it also creates friction and deep clarifications as we saw in the discussion.

In the next section, we will try and understand what the personal connection of each one us is to the Hebrew language.

The leader will ask the participants, “What does the Hebrew language mean to you?”

 

Option 2: The leader will read/will play the song “Hebrewman” by Ehud Banai .

In the case of either option, the leader will ask:

• Do you think that language is connected to culture?
• What is the significance of being a Jewish person who does not speak Hebrew on a daily basis?
• Is the Hebrew language meaningful for me? Why?
• Do you think that a Jewish person needs to know how to speak Hebrew?
• What, in your opinion, are the most basic words in the Hebrew language that every Jew should know?
• How meaningful is Hebrew for you?
• Is it important for you that your children will know Hebrew?

The leader will read the following Midrash to the participants:

“In the merit of four virtues the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt: They didn’t change their names, they didn’t change their language, they didn’t gossip…” (Vayikra Raba)

The leader will ask, 

• Why do you think the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt specifically because of these virtues? 
• What do these things symbolize? 
• What is the significance of our names?

Game:

1. For Groups of Participants Who Don’t Use Their Hebrew Names: Each participant receives a piece of paper. Anyone who has a Hebrew name should write it on the piece of paper, and the rest of the participants need to guess whose name is whose.
2. For Groups of Participants Who Do Use Their Hebrew Names:

All participants receive a piece of paper. Each participant writes down the meaning of his name and the rest of the participants have to guess whose name is whose (the internet can be used so as to increase the level of difficulty)

The language we speak, like our names, symbolizes something personal and unique for each one of us. Like in the case of two people with the same name- when I call one of them, I call him, not only by his name, but also include his personality that is expressed through the name that his parents gave him. Does the translation of my name have the same meaning? Seemingly no. What protected the Jewish people throughout history was their perseverance and consistency in staying true to their essence, that was manifested through the Hebrew language. All other ancient languages disappeared over time but the Jewish people continued to preserve the Hebrew language because it expresses the deep significance of the people.

Ask those who have a Hebrew name, “Do you feel connected to your Hebrew name? After this activity, will you want to use it more?”

The leader with scatter Hebrew-language newspapers (they will be sent to the leader as a printable file) throughout the room and the participants will make a poster of their Hebrew names using newspaper cuttings.