Brand New: URJ’s Interactive Hebrew Curriculum This fall, URJ Press launched a digital, online, interactive version of Mitkadem, the Union’s flagship Hebrew curriculum.
navigating it—or, worse yet, relating to it. With e-learning, for the first time I’m hearing students say things like ‘cool,’ ‘ awesome,’ and ‘I love this’ about their Jewish learning.”
Since its inception in 2003, Mitkadem has revolutionized how students learn to read Hebrew by enabling them to Web-based, Mitkadem work at their own pace Digital allows students to MITTY, THE MITKADEM through the curriculum’s 23 log in from any computer. MASCOT. ramot (levels). Students no No special software, CD, longer scramble to catch up with the or download is required. “One of my class or become frustrated with a students will be traveling around the slower class pace. Teachers become world with his family next year,” says facilitators, addressing each student’s Michelle Schwartz of Temple Sinai in needs to help him/her succeed. Denver, another pilot site, “and he’ll be continuing his Hebrew education Six URJ congregations are currently seamlessly.” piloting Mitkadem Digital. Rabbi Melissa Buyer, director of lifelong learning at Debbie Massarano of pilot site Temple pilot site Temple Israel of the City of Shalom in Dallas finds the program efNew York, believes that an online interfective in her own classroom. “The adactive curriculum is the optimal learnvanced students zip right through,” ing tool for today’s students. “Children she says. “They love knowing immedinowadays are digital natives,” she says. ately if they got the answers right and “And when material is presented outhaving access to the vocabulary and side of the digital world, some stuprayer texts a click away. One student dents tell us they have a harder time told me he felt like he had a teacher
Our Rabbis taught: If at the present time a man desires to become a proselyte, he is to be addressed as follows: “What reason have you for desiring to become a proselyte? Do you not know that Israel at the present time is persecuted and oppressed, despised, harassed, and overcome by afflictions?” If he replies, “I know and yet I am unworthy,” he is accepted immediately and is given instruction in some of the minor and some of the major commandments…. And as he is informed of the punishment for the transgression of the commandments, so is he informed of the reward granted for their fulfillment…. He is not, however, to be persuaded or dissuaded too much. If he accepted, he is circumcised forthwith….As soon as he is healed, arrangements are made for his immediate immersion, when two learned men must stand by his side and acquaint him with some of the minor commandments and with some of the major ones. When he comes up after his immersion, he is deemed to be an Israelite in all respects. ➢
Other URJ Press e-learning curricula will follow. “Partnering with Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles, we’re developing a digital component for CHAI: Learning for Jewish Life, the Union’s core Judaica curriculum, optimized for distance learning,” says Michael Goldberg, publisher and editor-in-chief of URJ Books and Music. “We also plan to produce e-learning versions of our Hebrew for Adults series, the Introduction to Judaism course sourcebook, and a whole range of adult learning opportunities.” Mitkadem Digital is now available for ramot 5-13. To learn more about Mitkadem, in print or online, contact URJ Books and Music at 212-6504120, info@URJBooksandMusic.com, URJBooksandMusic.com/elearning.
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online with him.” At the same time, Mitkadem Digital is particularly valuable for students with special needs, she says, “because they can work as slowly as they need, without peer pressure, in a learning environment with few classroom distractions.”
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