CSP - Is Hebrew Mosaic - or a Mosaic? Continuity and Change in Jewish Identity through Language - Dr. Jeremy Benstein

Herzl wrote of the alt-neu land. Hebrew is an alt-neu langue, an old-new language. One of the amazing things about Hebrew is its revival: it has been taken from leshon kodesh, a holy written language of the synagogue and the study hall, to a secular spoken one of the street, the bedroom, and the media. 

Beyond its ancient roots of tradition and modern wings of innovation, how the Hebrew language has developed reflects the way that Jewish identity has developed and changed over time.  But what does it tell us? We'll explore some of the ways the language itself raises issues of secularization and religious and national identity, tensions between traditional and contemporary values, and we'll ask: what should all this mean for me? 

This session assumes no knowledge of Hebrew - but it might just make you want to learn it!

Sponsor: Community Scholar Program - CSP