The Ivriyon summer immersion program developed by the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) to raise the Hebrew language level proficiency of K-12 day school Jewish studies teachers, has educated 77 teachers over the summers of 2004-09. Participants are immersed in a month of intensive language instruction during the summer – grammar review, participant presentations of sample lessons and text study – with an eye towards enhancing the vocabulary and language skills necessary for teaching in Hebrew.
Ivriyon will continue during the next two summers, with partial funding provided by the Davidson Graduate School of Education at JTS. In addition to instructing experienced Judaic studies teachers, Ivriyon also includes Davidson School students preparing to be day school teachers who strive to raise their Hebrew proficiency before entering the field.