The Change: Chumash AND [Not IN] Yiddish
In a bold pioneering move, ULY in Crown Heights is making essential changes to its curriculum:
United Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Crown Heights is incorporating this year a change in how its students learn Chumash.
Kita Alef children on the Crown Street school will be learning Chumash translated into English.
Crownheights.info was told that these changes are a result of continued discussion in the school over how to better teach Yiddish to a generation that does not speak it. The goal is that the students will over time be able to learn the Rebbe’s sichos and Ma’amorim in Yiddish as well as understand the Farbrengens.
The teachers will be focusing the Chumash lessons on the content of the chumash. Lashon Hatorah (language) acquisition skills (Shoroshim, prefixes suffixes etc.) will be the focus of a separate lesson, being an entirely different discipline.
As well, the Yeshiva will be bolstering Yiddish language acquisition by dedicating a focused 20 minute Yiddish total immersion lesson 2-3 times a week.
In line with the Rebbe’s directive in this matter (see below), we will be phasing-in addressing the students in Yiddish in all other times during school (lineup, lunchroom, playground, etc.)
Rabbi Y. Goldstein, Assistant Principal in the Yeshiva, told Crownheights.info: “this is a pioneering move and we are carefully monitoring the results to ensure the desired outcome.”
The Rebbe clearly stated his opinion on this matter in a 1972 yechidus with New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg, who was then the head of the United Jewish Appeal:
At the 3:36 mark:
[The Rebbe had ask Mr Frank Lautenberg to put on Teffilin. Someone asks: Does he not have to learn the brochos or the language, to read Hebrew?] the Rebbe responds: You can do all these thing in English, [Someone asks: All this in English? and the Rebbe responds: in English!, and then the Rebbe continues]:
Every boy or girl that is approaching, and does not understand Hebrew or Yiddish, should do all these things in English, it is a pity on the time loss, I am not for …. the Yeshivos who are very enthusiastic about forcing the people to teach all subjects in Yiddish, Gemara etc, I am not enthusiastic about it, we are spending a lot of time to learn a new language and after they have learned it, they have a language barrier, they cannot speak fluently, then are thinking in English, and it is a pity on the time Loss, as I said before ”the building is burning!“ it is not a normal time! and to say it a good way, it is a computer era, a computer must have the results in one second and because of that you [referring to Mr. Lautenberg who was a pioneer in the computer industry] are paid a million for this computer or 2 million, I don’t know exactly, this is your [again referring to Mr. Lautenberg] department….
In addition, the following is a response of the Rebbe to R’Aron Dov Sufrin a”h, who served for nearly forty years as Director of Education of Lubavitch Foundation, London:
Notes from Yechidus, on 20 Adar II 5725
Issue: Most of the children in our school (The school referred to is Lubavitch House School in London UK) speak English at home. However in each class there are at least half the parents who would like their children to be taught in Yiddish, and one child has left because of this. There are one or two others who may leave because we do not teach in Yiddish. On the other hand, there is one or two who may take their children away to other schools if we do start teaching the children in Yiddish, and it will also deter parents of the English and German type from sending their children to us.
Yet there is a possibility that if we would go over to teaching in Yiddish, a small percentage of frumer children may join our school. Under the present system we have adopted, we are introducing Yiddish into each class (as the Rebbe Shlita may have noticed from the curriculum I handed in), but there is still dissatisfaction amongst some of the parents. We therefore wish to know what our policy should be for running the school, to teach in Yiddish or English.
The Rebbe’s Response: Tell the parents who want everything taught in Yiddish that they most probably also want their children to grow up to be shomrei Torah u’mitzvos, Torah observant Jews. If their children will be taught in Yiddish, which is a strange language to them, they may develop distaste to everything they learn. This will affect them in the future development of their personal Yiddishkait (Judaism).
It is appropriate to speak to them in Yiddish during their playtime, recess, breaks, or when telling them a story as this will help expand their familiarity with the language; however, not when teaching them formal Yiddishkait subjects.
The results are already taking Melamdim by surprise. The following letter, titled ”The Change,” was sent to Crownheights.info by one of the Rebeiim in the Cheder:
It is against my grain to pen this op-ed, as I oppose using an anonymous forum as a platform to voice opinions and ideas that may inevitably generate (even avak) Lashon Hora. I do so nevertheless in this case, since I am positive that only good can result and I hope that I will not be proven wrong.
I hold a position in one of “our Mosdos”, and was visited this morning by a student who showed me a Mitzva Note addressed to his teacher: “Dear Rabbi … My son … reviewed 11 Pesukim Chumash at home last night. Signed Mrs. …”
I smiled and asked the boy if he already showed this note to his Rebbi, to which he responded, that he did.
Ok, I thought to myself, Rebbi wanted to give this boy an extra boost of positive attention and encouragement, so I gave it to him. That’s why I am here.
But it wasn’t so simple.
In the afternoon, Rebbi came to me with exhilaration and enthusiasm written all over his face. Here are some snippets, almost verbatim, from his exciting monologue:
“Rabbi … , don’t you understand why I sent you this boy? It wasn’t stam to give you Nachas! This is the first time in my 25+ years of teaching that at this point in the year a boy was able to say, on his own, more than even one possuk…!”
“…Ever since we made ‘The Change’ I have close to 100% participation in the class… the boys have a ‘chayos’ in the learning and they are really into it…!”
“Please come by… test the class and see for yourself! Thank you Rabbi … for pushing me to make “The Change” and for your support during this transition…”
I must admit that I was not surprised.
The children were finally learning Hashem’s Torah.
The children were finally discovering the beauty in learning Chumash.
The teacher was following the Rebbe’s directive.
The children were learning Chumash in the language that they understood.
I refrain from signing my name, because “The Change” was not unilaterally accepted in our Moisad and has yet to take hold in other Mosdos as well, and I am not out to make a fuss. I merely want to present the facts as they are, and rely on those who care and on those to whom it was invested the power to make these changes, to open their eyes and finally put their support behind this movement.
I hope that our Mosdos, who follow the Rebbe’s directives on so many other matters, will take the initiative and follow the lead of the daring pioneers, and teach in the language in which their students think and understand, and may their efforts be rewarded with results that surpass their expectations.
Please readers, if you agree with “The Change” and want your child’s Moisad to join, I beg you not to leave negative comments bashing the Moisad. Rather, I suggest that you contact the Moisad and make a respectful and heartfelt request for “The Change” to happen in your child’s school.
Beautiful
Thank you! We need to first and foremost instill a love for Torah in our children.
If children learn Yiddish as a second language, fine. In many schools throughout the world, every child is expected to be fluent in a second language. But unless we teach the kids how to speak Yiddish, it is extremely frustrating waste of time teitching in Yiddish.
The Rebbe didn’t even want boys learning how to lein for their bar mitzvah unless they planned to continue to lain afterwards as well. It takes maybe a year to learn how to lein well, but the Rebbe didn’t want it.
Why make the kids teitch into an unknown language for 10 years? That time would be better spent learning halacha, or even how to speak, read and write Yiddish!
Much success to you!
Shame
Shame on this rabbi for taking away yiddish. thank g-d i dont send my kids to his class
DaasTorah
Hebrew>Yiddish
Satisfied
Lubavitch Yeshivah on Crown Street is the best Yeshivah in Crown Heights period!It’s visionary, practical, and obviously, they care.
Mommy
Hear hear!!! For our boys this method of learning is like translating from Chinese to Japanese. All that happens is that we end up producing boys that are illiterate in both languages as they don’t get a grip on either Yiddish or Hebrew. Oholei Torah should follow suit
Nachas
Gut gezocht. Zolen mir hoben nachas fun der kinder, un zulen zei vaksen tzu zein greiser talmidei chochomim. B’brocha!
Why Argue (atzas Hayeitzer)
the Rebbeh Gave very clear guidelines already!
older uly guy
had they left out the “need” to teitch and all in yiddish many years ago – I for one would have been one happy camper. Throw a wrench like that at any kid and you lost him from the get-go. Very please to read this, perhaps our children will fair better.
BH
BH!
want to be Yiddishe Mama
In our cheder, the children translate the Hebrew into Yiddish and English. The parents have the choice of asking their children’s teachers to skip the Yiddish for their children. Because I did not grow up speaking Yiddish and we do not speak it at home, I chose not to take away this opportunity for my children to learn even a little bit of Yiddish. And because I work with my children while they are practicing their posukim at home, I am also learning a little bit of Yiddish. I think this is a personal choice. If a parent thinks it’s best for the child not to translate Hebrew to Yiddish, then so be it. But I am so grateful for the opportunity for my children and myself.
Finally
About Time. The policy of Yiddish made sense 65 years ago when most refugees’ first language was Yiddish.
Myself and all my friends hated learning in Yiddish.
The Rebbe himself said that Torah should be taught in one’s first language. This was in reference to teh policy of Ivrit B’Ivrit and should apply to Yiddish B’Ivrit.
pain
This is all a result of people being passive on the “little things” I am not saying at this stage this is a bad idea but we need to look at the root of the problem.
Yes it is bad that we have a pizza shop open late at night, yes it is bad that we have a manicure store on Kingston ave, yes it is bad that we have no respect for our moisdois, to the point that even people who CAN afford to pay tuition bargain.
And it is bad that youngerleit wear jeans, (no difference if its black or blue) and we should make a big deal when restaurants in our neighborhood have pritzus, and serve wine etc.
There are so many little issues that we let go by by saying “we are not Williamsburg” what we see here with the Chumash, is nothing compared to what will happen not so far off, where the headline will read “chumash will be taught with English text no Hebrew” as the kids don’t know the aleph beis.
We must end and not tolertare people walking to shul without kapotes, we must put an end to goyes walking carriages on Shabbos, we must put an end to so many youngerleit going “kidush” (read drinking) hoping on shabbos. As fat as tznius in the community I think there is an overreaction, it is more the behavior then the dres.
Why do we tolerate card games in homes? Why do we tolerate people misbehaving, people walking around without hats and jackets.
Last week we saw an article about a teacher in this same school who went biking with his wife. What kind of example does that set?
We have to get back to the basics urgently.
wrongway
Everything about this article is approached the wrong way.
Thankfully my son goes to the other school. He (and I) come from non Yiddish speaking homes.
I went to a school where yiddish was not taught at all and it hurt me when I went away to Yeshiva in so many ways. Just because ULY will stop, does not mean when the boy reaches Yeshiva age his Roshei Yeshiva and Teachers will stop too. By allowing this to be the solution you are almost guranteeing that your child will not do well in the older Yeshiva programs. He will be an outcast before he even steps into a ZAL.
Yes, there is a problem. But the solution is never “throw the baby out with the bathwater”, and whats worse is how the teacher is proud of this. At the very least this should be considered a sad sad event. Nothing to show pride about.
Our Rebbe spoke in this “dead language” and so many of his Sichas are in Yiddish. So many important moments the Rebbe spoke in Yiddish. How can anyone, much less a teacher be excited about severing that connection you could share by understanding what our Rebbe says, in the language he spoke it.
Until now I always wondered if I made the right decision sending my son where I send him, this morning I no longer wonder.
PS – My son is thriving in school and he has been increasing his Yiddish understanding every year since Pre 1A. It’s a beautiful thing that brings me so much Nachas. Because I know, when my son goes forward in his learning as he ages he will not be where I was. Standing in the dust.
Thank you!
Thank you to those who made “The Change”. Although I’m not used to my son only translating in his mother tongue I feel that he understands the concepts and psukim much better.
The next stage of the game is incorporating more to the boys’ curriculum. In Bais Rivkah (and I’m sure other Girls’ schools) my daughter had some sort of play or presentation practically every year. Whether it be a Chumash play or a science fair, there was always something to showcase the students’ talents and abilities.
There is no reason the boys can’t do this as well. Make Chumash play, a little concert of niggunim, etc. This will not take away from their learning. On the contrary, it will enhance it. The boys deserve the recognition they will receive. It will do so much for their self esteem and broaden their love of learning.
Allow them to express their creativity and they will shine!
Another thing that I think would drastically keep our youth interested is mentoring. There are bochurim in 770 that run to do Released Time every week. They go to public schools and spend time with the students. Are our children not worthy? If bochurim could come twice a week for an hour and spend time it would bring positive results.
Children would bond with their mentors, the rebbeim would have a little down time and it will help the bochurim as future rebbeim. They can do review work with them, teach them a sicha or tell stories of the Rebbe. The possibilities are endless. Our boys need mentors and this idea a no brainer. Kids today need positive influences in their lives and this can help.
We need to start this as young as 2nd or 3rd grade, all the way through 8th grade, it’s so important.
1234567890
tell those people who want Yiddish what the Rebbe said about it (as reported here earlier this year): http://www.crownheights.inf…
Just wondering???!!!
In thory it sounds right, however, in Montreal, the girls learn EVERYTHING secular in French. Most of the parents do not speak French, nor do they have any knowledge of the language, yet that is the law, that is what is done.
Now if it can be done in French, how much more so, can we do this with Yiddish???
free speech
I’m surprised that this website is allowing an op-ed of this nature and the comments are closed. Thereby allowing the writers opinion to be the only one published for the community to read.
The discussion on this topic and others on op-eds is one of my main reasons to come here because I always felt this website believed in real dialogue.
If the writers does not want feedback he should not submit it. If those are his conditions, pull the story. (as the other site just did …)
a reader
Im sory i dont know who you are but one thong is clear you are promoting your agenda a nd asking us to back you .If some peaple in the mosad are apposing you then there might be reason that you are not willing to desclose to the readers.sory be more fare and more open.
I agree
I agree that we have to teach now (in English), the language all kids speak and understand.
The reason that (as opposed to all other Chassidim who still speak in Yiddish at home), being that we were instructed by the Rebbe to be Mekarev all Yidden, and then thir kids attend our Mosdos, so then we “lost out” and “gave up” so-to-speak on the conveince of still speaking in Yiddish (which we still did in the 50’s and 60’s). So, this is one way, in which we gave up on ourselves for Yiddishkeit and bringing Moshiach closer.
Banging heads on walls sometimes helps
Welcome to the 21st century. Maybe they finally realized that they can “Change” and the world will not end
Nobody
Amein V’Amein.
I have felt this way forever (my son’s second grade teacher described the standard experience as “reading in Greek, translated to Russian, and then translated to Chinese).
However, it isn’t an unvarnished good. My son definitely picked up some Yiddish from the experience. But now my second son will start Pre-1A, and I really do hope that they change.
Tradition, however, has its value, and tradition is weak right now. So I don’t think the change should be approached lightly. I would like to see a different approach for integrating Yiddish, and better, more age appropriate English.
Also, you can’t overstate the importance of the fact that this particular teacher was enthusiastic about the approach. I would attribute 80% of the success to this factor alone.
Avremi Gourarie
I’ve been begging them to make this change for years. But I’ll take it a step further. Not only should Yiddish not be used (it should be taught separately as a subject), but on the contrary, English, the language, should be formally taught from first grade or even earlier. The reason – it gives the kids tools of expression – enabling them to study Torah subjects efficiently. The argument that the Rebbe disallowed ‘English’ to be taught before the age of 9 is bogus. I believe the Rebbe was referring to secular subjects, not the study of language as a tool of (Torah) study.
albert rosenblatt
If there is a problem learning Khumesh and Novi in Yiddish — why not do what the largest Beys Yankev in Borough Park does? They give girls who are weak in Yiddish– one year instruction in the langauge in their first year. A 6 year old learns a language very quickly.
Further, isn’t it better to know more than one language?
Secondly, aren’t we commanded to keep our language, our names, and our dress? [as the Haggade commentary on ‘Vayehi sham l’goy’ puts it: there they became a distinct people: b’shem, loshn’ v’ malbush].
albert rosenblatt staten island
20 minutes 2 to 3 times a week means at most 1 hour.
Is this enough?
I think we need to teach grammar [not just conversation] and give the students the ability to read Yiddish texts early.
Disagree
Totally Disagree! While I believe what you said is true, by constantly trying to make things easier you’re causing the ‘dumbing down’ of students. Perhaps we should eliminate the Mesivta years because we now have Artscroll Shas?! While I agree that it’s extremely important that kids understand what they’re learning it’s also important that they learn Yiddish. In any school all over the world kids learn a second language. Besides the benefits of knowing a second language it’s important for them to realize the different rules of different languages, etc… I don’t know how it is today but I remember when I was in camp (camper & counselor) more kids wrote letters in Yiddish than in English. We don’t teach our children proper English and they certainly don’t know Hebrew so why eliminate Yiddish? The best solution is to start using Yiddish in Kindergarten (and at home, when possible). I know that many teachers in Oholei Torah pre-school speak Yiddish and I’m grateful for that.
Happy LY parent
I have 2 sons in LY and I am very happy with the school.
I have to say that after Parent Orientation last night I did get a little chocked from “The Change”.
We are a frum Lubavitcher family who care extremely to follow on the Rebbe’s directions.
After waking up in the middle of the night and thinking about “The change”, I conclude that we have to give it a try.
My 1st grade son does come home and even not having homework he takes the chumash and learn byhimself, without me telling him anything.
He is very happy in school and he tells me all the story from Bereshis. He understands it!!!!
The Lubavitcher worls must open the eyes for the reality. Everyday the streets are more filled with men and women not dressed tznius and many families with challenges in chinuch and other related matters.
Mordechai
I think this is an extremely positive move. I have requested this over 6 years ago. I reviewed Parsha with my son and was proud that he completed to riviee with only one mistake in Yiddish translation. I made one mistake… I asked him questions on what he learnt and he stared at me dumbfounded. Turns out the children were being taught to parrot in Yiddish, but had no clue what they were learning. I sent a nachas note to the Rebbe. I received a phone call the next evening from the proud Rebbe. That’s when I told him how my son had no comprehension of what he is learning; therefore his foundation of Chumash is in jeopardy. The Rebbe taken aback tried to explain he is following the curriculum and when he finds time he will review with the students what they learnt. I suggested they learn the shoresh of the word and how the prefix and suffix affects the word. If they were to continue to learn in Yiddush than the Rebbe should at least translate / explain the Yiddish into English. Of course the answer again was curriculum. I am glad the Yeshiva is finally moving in the right direction.
Shayna G
ULY is is awesome we are so happy with R. Goldstein and Rabbi Barnett. They truly have the children’s best interest in mind and we support them.
Proud parent
We have a son in ULY and I would like to say Kol Hakavod to the change. Thank you ULY!!!
I went to OT my whole life and i would NOT want to send my son to that circus
ayn vort farshtei ich nisht
its about bloody time!!! Hope other schools wake up and smell the coffee! Teach yiddish as a second language,not as the sole method spoken for instruction. Our kids are losing out on the basics,the foundation,by getting lost amid “foreign”languages. Wake up!! So the boys can translate chumash into yiddish,big deal!! Do they know what the psukim are talking about??no!! Are they getting the lessons for life that yiddishkeit has?no!! Are they able to repeat to the parents what their teacher blabbed about all day in yiddish??heck no!! Oh but ba’al peh in yiddish they know. Great.wonderful.
yossi
I wish they would of done that when I went to ULY Ocean Pkwy in the mid ’80s
davening in english
maybe we should daven in english forget the hebrew sidurim
thats how reform was created R”L
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY FOR OT
Why dont they (OT) teach Yiddish as a second language, the same way that Europeans learn English as a second language? If this is done correctly, the students will leave Yeshiva speaking a gramatically correct yiddish and coudl even partcipate in a yiddish shiur late in high school.
This will not require extra time. All the extra time being used to teach (torture) the chumash and mishna in Yiddsish can be halved and used instead to learn Yiddish as a second language.
JustMe
to #2 Shame
I praise the lord I am not YOUR child.
to #12 WrongWay
I’ll ignore your whole diatribe as it is nonsense – but just for a quick take in regard to your frustration with the MANICURE place on Kingston – I take it you’d rather have your wife sportin 11“ inch nails and whiskers to go with ”that“ look.
It’s OK, I really understand.
What are you into 9” nails and whiskers?
Schneur
If you interpret what the Rebbe said the way you do “steelt zich di kasha ” Why the rebbe did not speak at least some sichos in English as many of the people in 770 and most of the people on cable and hook up did not understand Yiddish.
the way to consider the Rebbe’s words are that he is speaking to a Non CHASSIDIC audience and target , but Chassidim should change from Yiddish to Englsih, “ man DEKARA SHMEIH ” ! I do not see any pLACE that the Rebeb supports those who speak Yiddish to switch over to English.
Such a change was undertaken by Rabbi Soloveitchik at YU when in the early 1960’s he stopped delivering his Talmud shiur in Yiddish and switched to English. Is ULY like YU ?
Tamar
hey, everybody. Did you forget the reasons why Hashem took us out of Golus some 3000 yeaRS ago? and one of them is our native language????? I have a son in LY. And moreover we do not speek idish at home. But every year we keep fighting for our native language not to be forgotten. And it works with Hashems help.I understand a Staff in school when they take kids who has no idea about their idishkeit yet. I understand parents who wants their kids to be different by putting them in jewish enviroment. But COMMON. Do not we must do our best and not to follow any compromisses in judaism? Or we all happy in golus? Wecan speak any laungsuges we want outside the yeshiva but do not take away from our geulachtaki generation the heileke laungauge.
POINT OF VIEW
The issue is not so much the Yiddish, but the using of limudei kosesh AS TOOLS to learn yiddish. Want children to learn yiddish? teach it separately as a second language and only later on incorporate it in the curriculum
Naftali Michalowsky
I am not sure what they had been doing in this school but in Bnos Menachem–a school which is a unmitigated blessing for our community and for the Jewish world–The girls are required to chant the Posuk, then the Yiddish translation and then the English translation, which means for mastery the child must remember two different translations. That is an absurd expectation, especially for the linguistically complex pesukim. It’s likely (but not certain) that teaching Yiddish through pesukim translation helps the Yiddish of the children who speak Yiddish at home (who probably don’t need it anyway), but it’s certain that the dual translation taxes the Chumash learning process for everybody. Learning the translation of complex Hebrew texts is hard; Learning two translations for complex Hebrew texts is twice as hard–this is arithmetic.
Yiddish, especially the Yiddish in the Rebbe’s Sichos, is an easy language, because the syntax is almost identical to English’s. If we can prevent our kids from tuning out our teachers, we should simply be able to teach the language. They certainly spend enough time in school to learn it. We could even use Yiddish texts to do so.
Translating pesukim into Yiddish in 20th Century America has never been about teaching Yiddish. It’s been about the kedusha of Jewish Chinuch. But at the same time, the amount of young Lubavitures who know how to learn the Torah is increasingly small, and the amount of young Lubavitures who know and are interested in doing so is even smaller. It may well be time to value the kedusha of Torah learning over the the kedusha of learning it in Yiddish.
It’s true that Chassidishkeit has for a long time gone hand and hand with speaking Yiddish in the home, but that is changing because come what may the English speaking Labaviture homes, which of course comprise the majority of our homes–even those of the Shluchim–must be, in many cases are and ultimately will absolutely Chassidish.
Naftali Michalowsky
I mentioned Bnos Menachem in my previous comment and wanted to make sure my meaning was perfectly clear. So far as I can tell, Bnos Menachem is by far the finest Chinuch institution in Crown Heights, and for all I know beyond Crown Heights. They are professional, well staffed and Chassidish.
We feel blessed to have our daughters in their care.
its not uly its the rebbe
i don’t understand the argument, if someone thinks the rebbe’s view is a different one, let them post it.
Nobody
#12, you have real problems – it comes through. It hurts you when people don’t fit in the box that you expect of them. That is your problem, not everyone else’s. If you want to persuade anyone about anything, you need to persuade, not dictate.
#36, its an interesting thought, although why Yiddish would fit that description is a bit mysterious – they didn’t speak any dialects of German in Mitzrayim. However, the Rebbe clearly didn’t agree. He let Yiddish go in the Chabad Yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel. At this point only a small minority of people in Crown Heights actually speak Yiddish at home and have their kids know Yiddish at home – and only a small minority of those send their kids to ULY. I truly hope that Yiddish is not abandoned as it was in Eretz Yisroel (I don’t have much hope for ULY in that area – regardless of what they do in the lower grades, it is lost in the higher ones) as it is truly an important part of our tradition, but to blindly cling to Yiddish above all is to live in denial. The kids will know some Yiddish, but care not a bit for Yiddishkeit.
Mixed Feeling Mom
I disagree with Mommy (#5). We aren’t Yiddish speakers: we are secularly educated with advanced degrees & professional careers. All our children are out of “The System” B“H & all learned Yiddish in school.
One child, on Shlichus, speaks pretty much 50% to the children in Yiddish. All our children can teitch into Yiddish & learn Sichos with varying degrees of ease.
However, I have to say I’m speaking for mainstream, average students. None of our kids is ”brilliant.“ They did well in school/Yeshiva through hard work. It is a different story for kids with learning difficulties like dyslexia, who have a hard enough time davenning. Yiddish is another language, remember.
I really have mixed feelings. I think the classes should teitch from Hebrew to Yiddish to ENGLISH so they can understand what the text & teitch mean. In our community, Yiddish is a +. It’s a shame if they lose it. On the other hand, it’s true that for children who have problems already this will be the solution.
You know what’s going to happen: elitist ”Yiddish classes“ & second-rate ”English classes.” It’s the only way to make people happy but the social stigmas will come out.
Unless this becomes the policy of EVERY school it’s doomed to failure, even as it is definitely not a terrible thing.
THANK YOU!!
So happy my kids go to ULY. Now they will not have to struggle with Chumash like I did. They may actually understand what they are learning.
Yo
Tamar, our native language is not Yiddish, it’s Hebrew.
To number 36
The Yiddish language is not a Jewish language!!! It was a language adopted under tyranny! It is High German mixed up with Hebrew words! (Jews in Europe created Yiddish so their enemies should not understand what they are saying) ULY is not banning Lashon Hakodesh or Hebrew! If they did that you would have a point but to say we are changing our native tongue??? How dare you make a statement like that? You don’t speak the language yourself & on top of all that what kind of example are you teaching your son? Here son…you should learn in Yiddish but DON’T come home and share the Parsha with me at the Shabbos table because i don’t understand a word that you said!!! SHAME ON YOU!
I went to tell you something, I studied in OT and we had a student in my class that didn’t understand or speak Yiddish. That year we had a teacher with no names that spoke and taught in Yiddish ONLY. If we asked a question in English he told the kids to ask again in Yiddish! Well guess what??? That boy is a man today that is NOT religious! We have a dead classmate and 70% of the class not frum with an additional 10% without beards! If you like the statistics please take your child out of ULY and send him to OT!!! I don’t recommend it!
Y. Weber
You know, with so many kids in one classroom, the teachers are always needing shortcuts.
If the classes were smaller, like in Cheder Ohr Menachem, such shortcuts as bypassing Yiddish would not be “essential” as you call it at the beginning of this article, in bold just below the photo.
The Yiddish language is “essential” for a Yid! We need our leaders in the community to remind our community of the reasons for this.
I favor Yiddish immersion in the classrooms, which Beis Chaya Mushka and Cheder Ohr Menachem come the closest to, out of all of the schools in this town (along with the special program for select young girls at Beis Rivkah that runs for two years max. per girl, if I’m remembering correctly).
If the kids were given no choice but to do just about everything (except texts in Ivrit/Aramaic) in Yiddish, they’d learn it just fine.
A generation or so back, Jewish kids who spoke only Yiddish at home, often coming to school knowing no English at all at first, were sent (R”L) to public school, where they spoke only English. And these kids (my parents among them) were at the top of their classes; they learned English by immersion and, what’s more, they taught English to their parents and preschool-age siblings.
But, again, school Yiddish immersion probably wouldn’t work as easily at the schools that have overcrowded classrooms, where the teachers need to resort to shortcuts like this.
Oy vey iz mir!
pity
Whats wrong with biking with his wife? How many restrictions must you put on a frum jew? Now he cannot do something healthy and good for him with his own wife? Now they cannot spend time together in a quality way outdoors? They must bike in the house? Are you nuts? Maybe you should move to Williamsburg and stay home all day and never go out with your husband, poor you that you think something is wrong with that!
CH Mother
“Bold”? “Pioneering”? Where were these “bold, pioneering” educators ten years ago, when I sought just such a change for my children? You come up behind and then proclaim to be leading??!!
A Lubav Yeshiva Parent
So happy you made that brave move! Im thrilled to have my son stay at ULY as i think he will benefit tremendously from this change! thank you!!
THE SoLUTION!!!
If your children would be talked to in yiddish from the minute they entered the moised, at age two or whatever there would not have been a problem in translating in yiddish. all those who begged for this change years ago would not have felt the need if you were talked in yiddish in pre school.
a verry different taam when my son teitches in english. i just don’t feel he is coming home from a cheder or yeshiva, more like a hebrew day school. sorry
We live in America!
Wow, sorry, but I had such a hard time reading all the comments that the next step is to strengthen ENGLISH skills in this neighborhood!
expert
many comments are by poeple who are not teachers and teachers that dont know how to teach in yiddish to children that come from english speaking homes. there are many teachers that know how to do it. its sad to see that poeople make comments on a subject that they know very little. would you give the shochtim ideas how to shecht? surly not, so same here
Michush
The underline of taking away yiddish and using the rebbe’s yechidus is not 100%. See this excert. It this happening:
“It is appropriate to speak to them in Yiddish during their playtime, recess, breaks, or when telling them a story as this will help expand their familiarity with the language; however, not when teaching them formal Yiddishkait subjects.”
Also – this would make much more sense where the parents in the school interested in infusing the kids with yiddishkite. I would say 90% of the mothers don’t wear tznius skirts ir shetels (besides when they come to the school itselft and are forced to).
Mother
I am happy about the change. (but why only first grade?) My son “knew his chumash well”, meaning he would say the hebrew word and the Yiddish translation , but when I would ask him what the Yiddish word meant, he would say “I don’t know!” The kids can’t fully comprehend what they are learning when it is translated into a language that most students do not undersatnd!Teaching them yiddish as a separate subject is great so that they will eventually learn the language and use it as they get older. But to translate chumash into yiddish at such a younge age, they are truly missing out on a beautiful story!
BCH
To all Yiddish defenders:
We have a situation when only a small percentage of MELAMDIM (not to mention parents) are really fluent in Yiddish! There is absolutely ZERO Yiddish language emersion in the schools that purport to teach in Yiddish (that means melamdim among themselves, kids on the playground, etc). Under such circumstances, how can one possibly justify ‘teaching’ Chumash in Yiddish? Let the adults who claim to care about Yiddish switch their OWN lives around, make Yiddish their main language at home and on the street and only THEN think about teaching kids in this language. Otherwise it’s just a farce. Basically – put up or shut up!
needed to be mekarev to real Chassidus
If our kids don’t know Yiddish, how will they be able to go out and mivtzoim to be mekarev the chagas Chassidim in places like Williamsburg, Borough Park, Kiryas Joel, New Square, etc., to real Chassidus?
to #38
Bnos Menachem might be good for certaing things but def not for teaching yiddish. If you would know Yiddish you would know that the teachers don’t know the language just from what they send the kids home with. The spelling and grammar is horrible!
Of course when the teacher comes from an american BT or Sfardi israeli family we don’t expect any bettr, but even the teachers who come from yiddish speaking homes don’t seem to know the language.
The kids def. dob’t end up learning the language there.
Montreal Solution is better:
In Montreal, the kids can teitch in either language, both are provided in instruction and the worksheets.
They review first in Yiddish, then English. Kids can choose to translate in the language of their choice.
This exposes kids to Yiddish, but allows those who are not fluent to translate and answer in English.
Good solution. Montreal has a good model.
Chochemeyne
דירה בתחתונים means that Torah and Chassidus can be learned and expressed in every language. Therefore, it is not tragic that Chumash is being learned in English, it is beautiful.
That being said, when I walk through the streets of מאה שערים, it is very געשמאק and beautiful to hear the Yiddish, but why is it so important?
You can be a frum Jew in any language.
Chochemeyne
One more thing.
Just for the record: Many non-Jews in Poland spoke a better Yiddish than the Jews. In fact, all the Polish non-Jews understood and spoke Yiddish. Yiddish was not an exclusively Jewish language. Ladino, was.
Yet, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka very much wanted that we speak in Yiddish.
Very disappointed
I am so disappointed with this move and I must say it’s the ultimate chutzpah to make as if the Rebbe supported this by using what the Rebbe said to Frank Lautenberg as ‘proof’. Have you ever heard of context sir? Do you think Crown Heights can be compared to say a yeshivah day school in Boston. Do you think the Rebbe was discussing chinuch guidelines with a non-frum man for Crown Heights chadorim, or perhaps the Rebbe adressed the Jewish day school as a whole, which primarily caters to non chareidi families? This notion that children must absorb material at age 6 is ridiculous. The most important role of a teacher is to instill yiras shomayim into his students. If teachers truly teach in yiddish, by age 8 they will be fluent in yiddish, and have a lifetime beyond to expand their academic knowledge including all seforim of limudei kodesh. I grew up with some teachers that barely spoke English, yet they imbued so much more yiras shomayim in me than these “enlightened” new age melamdim. Shame on this teacher not necessarily for making his decision, but for gloating about it like it’s a nachas to the Rebbe that Yiddish is now dead in Lubavitcher Yeshiva. How sad indeed.
level headed!
Chutzpa of parents who think they can shift entire chinuch responsibility on the yeshiva.
Yiddish isn’t the Yeshiva’s responsibility. Especially not for those who dont bother even trying speaking yiddish at home.
If your kid can learn Spanish from the shiktza, one phrase at a time, SO CAN YOU!
There is no excuse for you not learning and starting to use Yiddish at home!
If there was a class of Russian speaking children, they will teach them chumash in RUSSIAN, AND teach them Yiddish as a language! Why the fuss?
A Yeshiva’s goal is to teach torah, chassidus and Yiras Shomayim.
Since when did chumash class become a platform for Yiddish language acquisition?
When you teach math you don’t teach one plus one equals “tzvei”.
A language is not acquired by translating it word for word out of a text.
So for all those complaining that they should not drop it, not only aren’t they dropping it they are actually improving it!
This is a HAPPY day in Tomchei Tmimim
Tzvi Lang
Children are sponges. They can absorb tremendous amounts of learning.They can learn anything, any language while young, without it being reinforced at home. As a late bloomer my Yiddush skills are lacking (embarrassing after almost 40 years of being frum). My parents spoke Yiddush when they DIDN’T want me to understand what they were talking about.My children did the same!I believe that the Rebbe speaks about a case where the person is older and can’t learn language too easily.
Eli
The Rebbes response about the school in england was in relation to parents who mostly spoke English and didn’t speak Yiddish. What’s the relationship to Crown Heights where most parents do know Yiddish?The interview with Frank Lautenberg was given by the Rebbe in a highly accented English and it was clearly meant for American type Jews who knew no Yiddish. Again what’s the relationship to Crown Heights where most people do know Yiddish even though they mistakenly think English is also ok.Why don’t you publish the long siche about the importance of the Yiddish language? Its been reprinted many times in various forums but is quite relevant to this discussion.Is there a letter from the Rebbe to TTL France or TTL Montreal to change to the French language? Of course not.The Rebbes words are being taken completely out of context.Me vet zich darfn bagrobn fun shandeh when a Lubavitcher chosid will not be able to communicate with his Belzer,Sanzer,or Vishnitzer acquaintances because he doesn’t speak mame loshn.Unbelievable!
mendel
remember that for the kid its more important to know hebrew that yiddis(there are more seforim in hebrew meaning lashon koesh than yiddish)after hebrew comes yiddish
Mike Powers
By changing to English , Lubavitch is essentially saying we are no longer part of the world Chassidic community. We are now part of the Modern orthodox world whose conversation is in English .
As far as the yeshiva world goes the level of Torah stduy in Chabad does not match that in places like lakewood and the yeshiva world especially the Bnai Torah sector has embarked on a campaign to revive yiddish in its chedorim ironically at a time Chabad is out to expunge Yiddish.
As far as out reach work arguement goes , English should be taught in the secular dept and if you take that arguement to its logical conclusion you will need to conclude that 95% of “the ”target” audience Jews in America have college degrees and most have several, so to do more effective outreach you should have the Lubavitcher abchurim attend college to order to be effective outreach agents And you can say that since most American Jews are far from obseravnt , perhaps our young teens should experience that life style as well with dating and other such relationships ?
ON Yad Beth Tammuz I have heard the story that the Rayaatz refused to answer his KGB interogattors in Russian despite his knowledge of the language but insisted on speaking Yiddish even under the threat of death. What do the Chachomim of CH make of that —- just a story ?
If the Zemach Zedek, the Maharash and the Rashab were to have techais hamesssim today , they would probably be unable to communciate with most of the kids in CH and probably head off to Williamsburg to people who could understand their Torah teachings.After Techiayas hameysim CH would have as it teachers those who taught in Englsih men like Shlomo Carlebach, Meir Kahane , Arye Kaplan etc but not their rebbeyim.