I am starting a new semester of online Hebrew classes, and I’m excited, but also anxious. I’ve been back in these classes since the summer, with renewed energy and purpose after a long break, and all of that effort has paid off, because I am moving up to Purple, the highest level. One of the things I love about Citizen Café, the school where I take my Hebrew classes, is that instead of offering three levels (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) like most language classes for adults, they are continually adding levels so that each student can start and continue in a class that is suited to their real abilities, without being too challenged or too comfortable. I cannot explain their color wheel, though, which starts with Red and Orange and, for now, ends with Purple, and makes stops along the way in Lime, Pink, and Turquoise.
I spent six semesters at the Indigo level, the second to highest level, where there are multiple semesters worth of content to help build vocabulary and fluency, but also a lot of repetition. During my sojourn in Indigo, I kept hoping that they would create a new level, between Indigo and Purple, so I wouldn’t have to keep going over the same material, or move up to the final level, which feels so, I don’t know, final, but no such luck. Eventually, my teachers decided that I was getting too comfortable in Indigo and needed to move up to Purple for a new challenge, and I agreed with them, but now I feel like I’m being thrown into the deep end without my water wings.
From what I hear from friends, purple level is a different animal. The content changes each semester, depending on what the students in each class are interested in, and there are people who have been at the purple level for a dozen semesters or more, to make up for not having anyone in their outside life to speak to in Hebrew. I’m one of the few students at the advanced levels at this school who has never actually been to Israel, let alone lived there, and I worry that I will be intimidated by my classmates who either live in Israel now or have visited many times in the past. At some point soon, I’m sure the school will figure out that if I belong in Purple, then there really should be at least one more level above Purple for the really advanced students. And then they’ll have to come up with a new color to add to their color wheel, like ultra-violet, or maybe chartreuse.
I’m sure that, originally, when they were teaching classes in person in cafes around Tel Aviv, they assumed their students would only stay for a few semesters, since they’d already done their official six months in Ulpan (when you move to Israel, you take a six-month Hebrew course subsidized by the government). They probably thought that all their students would need was some practice and fine tuning and then they’d be ready to get a job and continue to work on their Hebrew with their new Israeli friends, but the reality is that Hebrew is really hard to learn, and most Israelis are too busy, or too impatient, or too terrible at grammar themselves to be of much help. And most people want to be able to do more than just read road signs or buy cherry tomatoes at the Shuk, they want to be able to watch (and understand) the news, or read novels at the beach, or scream at their friends over loud music at a party and actually know what’s being said back to them. So, the school grew.
But something else also happened along the way. Once the school went online, during covid, they found out that they had a lot of potential students who didn’t live in Israel at all. Suddenly there were students from around the world who wanted to learn Hebrew before moving to Israel, or so they could speak Hebrew with their Israeli wife’s family, or chat with their grandkids over Zoom. And then there were people, like me, who wanted to speak Hebrew for a million reasons other than moving to Israel. There are a lot of us who are fascinated with Hebrew for reasons of culture, ancestry, community, connection, family and on and on, rather than just wanting to be able to navigate the bus routes from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
I am still, usually, the only person in my classes who has never been to Israel, though. And hopefully, someday soon, I will be able to afford a trip, but for now, I’m doing my best to travel there in my mind, and on Zoom, and it is bringing me a lot of satisfaction, and a lot of joy, and just a little bit of crippling anxiety.
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Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
kudos for sticking it out so determinedly!👍🏼🌹
Thank you!
I hope all goes well for your lessons at the Purple level, Rachel.
Thank you!
A tad bit of anxiety while learning a complicated language is OK. It keeps you on your toes. I have some of it with Russian. Anyway, you must be doing fine to make it to advanced levels.
Russian has always been on my to-do list, but it’s taking me much longer to learn each language than I expected/hoped.
Learning vital skills like language is easier for young children. Most of us lose that flexibility as we pass our 30s. We still learn, but it takes more conscious effort.
Cool to see that, learning a new language means more communication opportunities. Keep up the spirit
It really is a wonderful way to meet and learn about other people!
It is great to see you too.
I keep forgetting you’ve not been to Israel. And I don’t see how you’d be intimidated. Learn from, yes.
I will keep working on it!
With the students who have been to Israel you get to play ‘tourist’ with them without the price tag. Use it to your advantage, Rachel. You must be one smart cookie to make it to Purple level! 💜
I’ve learned so much from my classmates, and teachers, not just about Israel but about other countries and other cultures. It’s endlessly interesting!
Love it as always Rachel (though I need to go back and see what posts I”ve missed … work has been a bear lately and ya don’t know want to know some of the “dumb” I’ve had to work around)
Anyway here’s to ultra-violet or chartreuse though I have a feeling that you are already past the need for an additional color.
Cheers to you and your Mom and cutie filled dog beds. Seriously, that pic is some big time cute.
I think chartreuse could be a lot of fun, or maybe vermillion. Tzipporah is figuring out that she’s home, finally, and she seems to be okay with it.
I’m surevyou’ll get to Israel someday soon.
I hope so!
Congrats! That’s very impressive. I really need to learn a new language. I may try!
It’s a lot of fun!
Thats cool congrats on movinh up to the highest level, you must be quite fluent.
Not so much fluent as eager to learn more. I’m a terrible judge of my own abilities, though. I always notice my mistakes more than my successes.
That’s usually how I feel about anything creative I do ?
I sure understand your hesitation to move into more difficult territory; yet, it will be good and I truly believe you’re up to the challenge!
Thank you so much!
I thinks it’s wonderful that you’ve been able to take on another language and progress to what seems to be farther than any on-resident speaker had. I know it’s difficult for you not being with other speakers who can encourage you and when necessary correct you as you now build proficiency. You have a good plan and you have good energy. You’re going to do great! Good luck to you.
Thank you so much!
Your little one would miss you if you traveled without her! (Now you have an excuse to stay home and do virtual travel if you’d like. 🤣)
Ha!
OMG! I just booked a 30-minute free lesson to learn more about this program – I always wanted to learn Hebrew- Toda!
Let me know how it goes!
My granddaughter Ella and I both love the color purple so it must be awesome.
My niece has always been a big fan of purple too!
It sounds to me that you are an excellent student!
I’m dedicated, certainly. I wish I were more of a natural with languages (and everything else), but I’m enjoying the journey.
Languages are hard for me, too. Especially sign language. Perhaps that’s why I admire bilingual speakers so much.
❤️ 💖
I had my meeting this morning – and congrats on purple again – I would have been red since I know three Hebrew words – the time commitment was too much for me – but now i am intrigued and will look for something else that matches my schedule…..
There are a lot of great programs out there now. I hope you find the one that’s right for you!
Thank you!
Good luck with your advance to Purple. The book sounds interesting.
Thank you!
So nice to hear you’ve reached the top level, Rachel. I think you need to make yourself a purple belt as a reminder that this is truly an accomplishment. And if they add on chartreuse, you’ll master that too.
Is it my imagination, or has your furry girl become more relaxed? She looks quite content in this photo.
Tzipporah is definitely settling in. Next step, teaching her how to walk on a leash!
hebrews nice