Are you fluent in Yiddish or hebrew?

newinbp ↓

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 6:21 pm

amother DarkPurple wrote:

I passed the state bilingual Hebrew certification exam but I'm not fluent like a native. I can get around Israel very confidently and hold a comfortable conversation, but I doubt I'd be able to sit in an Israeli college or even high school and learn anything meaningful.

Is this an exam in israel? What is the purpose of the exam, what do you need a passing score for?

amother

↑ DarkPurple ↓

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 6:34 pm

newinbp wrote:

Is this an exam in israel? What is the purpose of the exam, what do you need a passing score for?

No, in NY, to work in bilingual public school positions.

↑ newinbp

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 8:43 pm

amother DarkPurple wrote:

No, in NY, to work in bilingual public school positions.

Oh! I didn’t know there was a need for Hebrew in public school, that’s so interesting. In what capacity?

↑ dankbar

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 8:49 pm

There are bilingual teachers mostly yiddish/English speakers in public schools serving the special needs population, the heimish kids from the community. They have a separate class for them.

amother

↑ DarkRed

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 10:01 pm

amother Tan wrote:

Dumb question: don't all frum people learn how to read hebrew? How do you daven?

I think most people are talking about reading and understanding, not just pronouncing the words.

amother

Chambray

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 10:06 pm

I grew up in Williamsburg so my Yiddish is perfect.

Living in Israel for the past (almost ) decade, so my Hebrew is decent.

Good enough to get around and understand what’s being spoken, but I can’t follow the news for example, or read a novel.

I’m at the point where I understand more than I can speak, so when I hear myself I know I’m saying things wrong, but I’m still learning.

I’m hoping my kids will be fluent in all 3 languages!

amother

Cadetblue

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 10:31 pm

Living in Israel for more than 2 decades. My youngest children speak to me in Hebrew (my dh and I speak to them both in English and Hebrew), I attend lectures in Hebrew, attend work meetings in Hebrew, and follow news sites in Hebrew. I love being fluent in Hebrew but what's frustrating is that I know some words in Hebrew that I've forgotten in English.

Elfrida ↓

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 10:54 pm

amother Peach wrote:

Same. My parents (whose first language is yiddish) intentionally did not teach us so that they could have private conversations right in front of us. I learned conversational Hebrew in school for a few years, but never got fluent and it's very, very, very rusty.

My grandparents tried to do that, and were startled when my father just joined in the conversation one day. Regular exposure meant he picked it up without too much trouble.

So my grandparents spoke fluent Yiddish, as their first language. My father understood, and would speak when necessary, but it didn't come easily. We picked up odd words and phrases, but I couldn't talk.

On the other hand, having g lived in Israel for more than twenty years, my spoken Hebrew is fluent. Reading takes a little more effort than reading in English, and my written Hebrew still needs work. I can write what I need for work, but struggle with higher level academic type papers.

↑ Elfrida

Wed, Aug 07 2024, 11:02 pm

amother Tan wrote:

Dumb question: don't all frum people learn how to read hebrew? How do you daven?

Learning to daven is not the same as learning to speak. Most of davening is the same every day, and people normally know it by heart and use the siddur as a cue. They learn the meaning/translation of the words in school, or by reading an the translation in their Artscroll siddur.

When it comes to things like Yamim Nora'im davening, many people go back and forth with the English.

None of that does much to aid you in having a conversation or reading a newspaper in modern Hebrew.

amother

Seashell

Thu, Aug 08 2024, 12:15 am

My family has been in the USA for over a century. Some were here in the later 1800s. So yeah, we don't know Yiddish. It isn't our language. I know a handful of words.

Hebrew I was never fluent but I also never spent a lot of time around Israelis. I used to know more than I do now from high school but I haven't had to speak it to any Israelis in way over a decade.

Brit in Israel

Thu, Aug 08 2024, 1:11 am

Living in Israel for 8 yrs so Hebrew is improving, I can somehow converse with neighbours but it's not flowing, and usually will notice as I'm hearing myself saying it that I said in incorrectly.
I can follow recipes or write my recipe in Ivrit for my 7 yr old to do (she doesn't yet read English)
I understand most of what's going on in some ivrit videos like shtissel (is that what it's called? Been a while) and Hamarutz L'million (The amazing race). They definitely helped picking up words and I pause it less now for DH to explain what I missed. I wish I had time to watch them more often, I'm sure I would pick up the language better.

Yiddish I officially learnt in school until the age of 8 but I can't speak it. May remember a word or 2 here and there. Besides for Mah Nishtana which by now needs polishing, we learnt every year in Yiddish.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Aug 08 2024, 1:52 am

Speak fluent hebrew, been in isrsel over 2 decades.
I understand bits and bobs of yiddish as one grandmother a"h would pepper her english with yiddish without her even realizing.

amother

Holly ↓

Thu, Aug 08 2024, 2:17 am

I speak several languages fluently including Yiddish and Hebrew. I am always astounded when I see how ppl, mostly Americans that speak just English, not a word of Hebrew.
And it’s even more astounding when they live in Israel and simply can’t communicate in hebrew. How do you expect to get by with just English?

amother

↑ Copper ↓

Thu, Aug 08 2024, 2:24 am

amother Holly wrote:

I have the same I speak 2 languages fluent and one good enough and then Yiddish I can get by as well I don’t rly speak Hebrew though but it won’t hurt some Americans to learn another language in my country children learn at least 4 languages including the language of the country

amother

↑ DarkPurple

Thu, Aug 08 2024, 3:05 am

newinbp wrote:

Oh! I didn’t know there was a need for Hebrew in public school, that’s so interesting. In what capacity?

There really isn't lol but hypothetically anyone with the bilingual certification can hold these positions (I work in administrative type roles, not in a classroom). The theory is that you're better trained to understand the needs of any bilingual student.