Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
Cantor Jamie Gloth
Melissa Rudman, Executive Director 
Arlene Bryer, President

How to Revive a Dead Language ...
in 100 Years
December 30, 2020 | 15 Tevet 5781
Dear Friends:

Have you ever stopped to think how it could possibly come about that Hebrew — the language that the Jewish people managed to preserve for almost two thousand years — even though we had no land to call our own, and we had ceased to use Hebrew as our vernacular -- somehow was able to be revitalized and ultimately became the lingua franca of over eight million Israelis? 

The story is fascinating. Would you like to hear it?

We’re in for a treat. The Israeli consulate in Boston is sponsoring a four-part series in the new year that explores this precise question.

It’s entitled, How to Revive a Dead Language in 100 Years.

I can’t vouch for all of the speakers, but I am eager to hear at least two of them, whom I can highly recommend: Gil Hovav and Guy Sharett. 

Gil Hovav, who will speak on January 5th, is a "foodie": He's a TV personality and Israel's leading culinary journalist, known for his role helping Israel become a "gourmet nation."
He also happens to be the great-grandson of Eliezer Ben Yehudah, the Jewish scholar and Zionist who is credited with being the “father” of modern Hebrew. 
Eliezer Ben Yehudah
Eliezer Ben Yehudah’s story is astounding. He was wholeheartedly committed to resurrecting the Hebrew language. He raised his son Itamar ben Avi to be the first person in the modern world whose native language was Hebrew. Eliezer refused to allow his son to hear any language other than Hebrew. It's perhaps not surprising that it wasn't until the boy was four years old that he uttered any words at all. His first word was "Avi", meaning "my father".

Incidentally, Itamar took on "Ben Avi" as his last name. "Avi" not only means "my father", but is the Hebrew acronym for "Eliezer Ben Yehudah", so Itamar's last name means "son of my father," in two senses.

Itamar ben Avi’s son-in-law, Moshe Hovav, was a famous radio announcer in the early days of Israeli radio. With his deep voice, his daily broadcasts would begin with him reciting the Shema on the radio. Here's a clip from those early broadcasts. Notice how carefully Moshe Hovav pronounces each and every syllable, particularly when the last letter of one word matches the first letter of the next:
As you can see, Gil Hovav (Moshe's son) has an impressive pedigree and a fascinating family history, some of which he'll be sharing with us. The focus of his talk will be the extraordinary accomplishments of his famous great-grandfather. 

Guy Sharett, who will speak on January 21st, is the host of the delightful podcast, “Street-Wise Hebrew,” which I heartily recommend. Click here to read more about him.

Here are the details about this four-part series: Click here.

The Hebrew language is our precious portable possession. As our own Arnee Winshall -- who spoke at a Kiddush Conversation a few weeks ago -- reminded us, there is much we can do to enhance our connection with it. All of us will benefit greatly from knowing more about its remarkable development.

I hope you’ll be able to take part!

Sincerely,

Rabbi Carl M. Perkins

PS. Here’s an amusing anecdote: My late father-in-law, Rabbi Simcha Kling, who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, won a scholarship in 1938 from the local Board of Jewish Education that allowed him to travel to what was then Palestine to study at the famous Gymnasia Herzliya secondary school in Tel Aviv.
Gymnasia Herzliya in Tel Aviv
(Sadly, this graceful building was demolished in 1962 to allow for the construction of the Shalom Tower, the first skyscraper in Israel, on the site. Partly in response to the ensuing uproar, laws were passed to prevent the destruction of similar historical landmarks.)
At the end of the 1938-39 academic year, my father-in-law wanted to remain in Israel for another year, but just as the new school year began, in September 1939, World War II erupted. His parents insisted that he return to the United States, and so he quickly booked passage on a ship to the United States. Serendipitously, Itamar Ben Avi happened to be on the ship. He was headed to the United States as a representative of the Jewish National Fund. When Itamar met my father-in-law, and learned that his first name was “Simcha,” he shook his head: “You should change it,” he said. “A name like that (ending in kamatz heh) is a feminine name. Change your name to ‘Gil'! (Like "Simcha," "Gil" means joy.) My father-in-law liked to tell that story — even though, as it turns out, he never took Itamar Ben Avi’s advice. In fact, “Simcha" and many other modern Israeli names are gender-neutral.