Students Get School Credit at Jewish Center
Mission Viejo, CA — Rabbi Zalman Marcus, a lanky man with glasses and a long beard, addresses his students on their last day of class at the Chabad Jewish Center.
“On your paper I want your Hebrew name followed by the day of the week. Does anyone know what the Hebrew word is for Wednesday,” the rabbi asks. All seven students shoot their hands up with an eagerness to answer.
While it appears to be a regular Hebrew classroom, there is one difference – all the students are getting high school credit for the course.
The Chabad Jewish Center of Mission Viejo offers Hebrew High classes to students in local high schools. Accredited by the Hebrew Academy in Huntington Beach, students can earn either five or 10 foreign language credits.
Current students come from an array of high schools – including Dana Hills, El Toro, Capistrano Valley, Tesoro and Trabuco Hills. They need to receive permission from their schools to take the course.
“We don’t know of any other Jewish centers that offer this course,” said Marcus, who directs the chabad. “We want the students to get the values in the language.”
The class, offered on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, is split between classical Hebrew, where students learn the meanings behind the words, and conversational Hebrew. The class runs from September to June.
“The history class teaches a lot of stories I didn’t know and a lot of morals,” said Chelsea Salzman, a senior at Dana Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano.
According to the 17-year-old, Hebrew is a little more difficult to learn compared to other foreign languages like Spanish and French.
“You have to learn a different set of symbols and how to write them,” she added.
Hebrew High also teaches grammar, history, biblical stories and geography of Israel. It also provides Jewish youth an opportunity to become friends and interact with other Jewish students, said Marcus.
“They look forward to coming here because they don’t have many Jewish friends in school,” Marcus said. “They are able to develop a sense of pride in their culture.”
