1. Is the Tarbuton a Religious School? No, not really. We don't teach religious studies; we focus on Hebrew language, traditional Jewish holiday celebrations and Israel. Some participants are also members at a Synagogue or attend Jewish Day School. The Tarbuton compliments their language studies and provides them with a Hebrew speaking community with whom to use their Hebrew. Orthodox, Reform and Conservative Jews all participate in our programs. For the many who are not affiliated with a Synagogue or who may not attend any other Jewish programs, the Tarbuton is home.
Note: The Tarbuton programs are separate and distinct from the Religious School Programs at Congregation Beth El and Temple Solel. If you would like your child to be Bar/Bat Mitzvah at either Synagogue he/she must complete the requirements of the Synagogue to do so. Please inquire directly with the Synagogues for more details and see our Location page for contact information.
2. What If I'm Not Israeli?Over 90% of the participants in Tarbuton programs are not Israeli. The community is filled with people who cherish Israel; people who have lived there, want to live there, have relatives there and want to visit there. There are many families with one Israeli parent and one not. 20% of the participants in the Ivrit b'Ivrit program are Americans with no other connection to Israel but a great love for Israel and a desire for strong conversational Hebrew skills. The community is heavily multi-lingual with some families with parents who speak Japanese, Russian, French and Spanish. Our Hebrew Immersion programs are appealing to both Israelis and non-Israelis and bring the entire community together for traditional Holiday celebrations and weekly activities.
3. Will My Child Speak Hebrew After One Year of Classes in the Tarbuton?No, probably not. But, he/she will know/understand a tremendous amount of Hebrew, be comfortable in a Hebrew only speaking environment and be able to respond to questions in Hebrew. We encourage students to attend Tarbuton classes a minimum of twice/week. We also encourage consistent participation through your children's school years. We have a solid curriculum for conversational and reading/writing and believe that consistent attendance over the years coupled with participation regularly in additional community activities conducted in Hebrew can produce strong conversational Hebrew speakers.
4. I'd Like To Know More About Hebrew Immersion. How Does It Work? We wanted to know more too. So, we consulted with a Hebrew language immersion consultant when we founded the program. You can read more about her work and answers to frequently asked questions in the Q&A below.
Aviva Kadosh, the BJE’s Hebrew language Consultant, together with a team of educators provide ongoing field supervision to teachers and evaluation tools to principals in schools that are offering Hebrew Language Immersion in their pre-schools and early childhood grades.
Read more about Aviva Kadosh and her work: http://www.bjela.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=164972
Article on Hebrew Immersion in LA
Interview with Aviva Kadosh – Written Q&A for Parents
5. Why is Community So Critical to Language Acquisition? A recent University research study showed that at least 1/4 of children who grow up in homes with two parents who speak a foreign language with their children still do NOT speak the language as adults. What was missing for these children? Children need to know their parents believe it is important for them to learn the language. They will look to see if the parents want to learn, if they use the language and with who, if they get engaged in the children's study of the language. And most importantly, if the children do not have a community with whom to use their language skills they simply don't use them. If you would like to read more contact Jennie Starr at
jennie@tarbuton.org for a copy of the research study.
6. What Is the History of the Tarbuton? Jennie Starr and her friend Rakefet Benderly founded the first classes of Ivrit b'Ivrit for their daughters who were 3 at the time in January, 06 in Carmel Valley. There are many "Thank You's" owed to people who contributed and continue to contribute greatly to the
success of our programs:
- Kef Benderly: For helping to found the first classes and marketing the program to families, helping to interview teachers and supporting the effort 100%
- Orna McCann: Our first Ivrit b’Ivrit teacher who enthusiastically took on the task of launching the program with us and making the program fun for our children
-
Tsuffit Abuhav: Our second Ivrit b'Ivrit teacher who jumped in to carry on the program in its 2nd and 3rd sessions before she returned to Israel.
- Rabbi Piekarski, Chabad Del Mar: Who provided us with our original location. He did so without hesitation welcoming us with open arms.
- Brian Blacher who graciously gave us our second home in Sorrento Valley
- Rabbi Avi Libman, Rabbi Phil Graubart and Amit Dagan for their generous support moral and operational at Congregation Beth El
- Ellen Fox for her enthusiasm and generous support moral and operational at Temple Solel
7. Is It Possible To Make a Donation to Support the Tarbuton? Yes. And we'd really love your help! The Tarbuton is an independently run program without any subsidy or financial support from any local Jewish organization. (Though we are blessed with the support of Congregation Beth El and Temple Solel each of which has their own Tarbuton on site.) The Tarbuton Director, Jennie Starr currently donates her time to build and operate the programs with support from some parent volunteers. Teacher salaries and operational costs are covered exclusively by class fees from parents.
If you are interested in supporting the Tarbuton, we would love to receive donations. Funds would be used to create new classes more rapidly to accomodate demand. Donations are tax deductible. Contact: Jennie Starr, the Tarbuton Director at
jennie@tarbuton.org
