For nearly eight decades, the King David Schools in Johannesburg have constituted a network of Jewish schools operating under the auspices of the South African Board of Jewish Education. The network includes four campuses and offers co-educational education from preschool through high school; today, approximately 2,700 students study there and approximately 385 teachers teach there. The schools operate in an Orthodox-traditional spirit, while remaining open to and welcoming students from diverse Jewish families. Alongside high-quality general education, significant emphasis is placed on Hebrew and Jewish studies, as part of an educational outlook that sees language, tradition, and the connection to the State of Israel as central components of students’ identity. Within a cohesive Jewish community with clear expectations, the schools aspire to educate students with Jewish and Zionist identity, a sense of belonging, and responsibility toward the community and society.

When I began leading the Hebrew program at the school, I understood that the question was not how many hours of Hebrew are taught—although that, too, is an important question—but what status Hebrew holds in the school culture. It is possible to teach a language well and still leave it confined to the space of the classroom alone. I wanted something different: for Hebrew to be present, visible, heard, and felt throughout the day—and for its status to be clear, firm, and unquestionable.

Hebrew: As Foundation and Core

The cultural tone is set from the outset by the school leadership: Hebrew is the foundation and core of Jewish education. At every opportunity—at student assemblies, parent information evenings, discussions with students, or events—its importance is emphasized. It is not a separate or secondary field; it is the heart of school life.

To demonstrate seriousness and a clear status for Hebrew, the language is taught five lessons per week, every school day, in addition to a dedicated Hebrew singing lesson. New students who have no prior background in Hebrew are also integrated into a dedicated track that enables them to advance and participate—but opting out of Hebrew is not an option.

Every minute in a Hebrew lesson is precious—this message is conveyed to faculty and students alike, to ensure that the time is devoted to meaningful study of the language, culture, and heritage.

Strong Leadership as a Key Value

For the vision to be realized, strong leadership from the head of the Hebrew department is required. That person must stand behind the language, fight for its status, secure support from the administration, and convey a clear message to the faculty, students, and parents.

Students and parents need to see that Hebrew is given a place of honor, and that the person responsible for it is serious and committed. This leadership ensures that Hebrew is not a secondary field but a pillar of identity, culture, and education. Every decision—from investment of resources to protection of instructional hours—is reinforced by the person leading the department.

Hebrew with Complete Seriousness: Excellence as a Value Position

The language is taught deliberately and with exacting standards. The demand for excellence is a foundational principle: precision, effort, and constant improvement. Students understand that this is a serious subject, and the value of high-quality Hebrew also strengthens their love of the language.

The choice to give Hebrew central status does not end with instructional hours. It is also expressed in milestone events.

At the seventh-grade graduation ceremony, just before the transition to high school, only one subject receives dedicated award categories: excellence in Hebrew, achievement in Hebrew, and perseverance in Hebrew. There are no parallel categories in other subjects.

This decision was not made in order to diminish the value of other subjects. It was made out of an understanding that in a Jewish school in the diaspora, Hebrew is an anchor of identity. When a student walks onto the stage and receives an award in Hebrew, he understands that his linguistic effort has public value.

The message to students and parents is clear: Hebrew is not a marginal field. It is the core.

Hebrew on the Main Stage

At Yom Hazikaron ceremonies, Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies, and other events, we made a clear decision: there is no literary reading, no song, and no passage from the sources without the original Hebrew. Even when there is a translation, the original is heard aloud.

More than once, I have heard the claim that students do not understand everything. Perhaps. But full comprehension is not the only condition for meaning. Hearing the original language honors the text and connects students to a generational chain.

We are careful to ensure that the Hebrew is clear, rehearsed, and polished. Students do not go up to read without preparation. The language is not presented as something incidental, but as something that must be handled with care. The precision itself conveys prestige.

One of the most meaningful initiatives is “Word of the Week” at the weekly morning assembly.

Each week, two students go up on stage and present a word in Hebrew through a short dialogue. The word appears on the screen in Hebrew, and sometimes additional sentences appear as well. The students do not read a technical text; they converse, present, and act with the language.

Over time, this initiative became a central moment in the assembly. The school principal even defined it as the “highlight” of the assembly. The moment the administration gives public prestige to an activity in Hebrew, a clear message is created: Hebrew is not an add-on. It is the heart of the event.

Today I have a waiting list of students volunteering to present the Word of the Week. They want to be on stage in Hebrew. This is a cultural shift. The language has gained visibility and respect.

We also decided that Hebrew would not appear only in the “Hebrew segment” of the weekly assembly. Every slide that is projected also includes terms in Hebrew. If the announcements concern sports, the word “sports” will also appear in Hebrew. If they concern a social activity, the appropriate word will also appear in Hebrew.

In this way, repeated and consistent exposure is created—not dramatic, but meaningful.

Beyond the “Word of the Week,” we have occasionally chosen to bring Hebrew texts to life through drama. At assemblies, students have performed short adaptations of stories in Hebrew, from the poems of Leah Goldberg to the stories of Miriam Ruth and other works of Hebrew literature. The plays are conducted entirely in Hebrew. Students study the text, memorize it, understand it, and embody its characters. The moment a Hebrew text becomes movement, voice, and emotional expression on a stage, it stops being a page in a book and becomes a living, breathing experience.

Visual Presence: Not Only Learning, but Also Identity

In every classroom there is a map of Israel, an Israeli flag, and posters in Hebrew. The connection between the language and the land is not theoretical. It is visible. The language is the language of the land, and the land is part of our story.

I have often been told that posters in Hebrew do not actually teach. Even if, from a pedagogical perspective, the impact of the posters is limited, their cultural meaning is great. When a child enters a classroom and sees Hebrew on the walls, he understands that this language deserves a place. That it is not a guest.

The visual space creates a norm. It communicates that Hebrew is part of everyday life, not a one-time project.

In the school’s weekly newsletter to parents as well, all headings appear in Hebrew in addition to the English. A Hebrew date is always included, sometimes a short quotation, and sometimes only a heading. The message is not pedagogical in the narrow sense, but cultural: Hebrew belongs in the school’s public space.

A Policy That Does Not Fold

The deep change occurred when Hebrew was given a mandatory status at the systemic level.

More than once, we were required to make complex decisions around the schedule. Rehearsals for a play, special events, external visitors. Each time, the same question returned: which lessons are canceled?

I made it clear that Hebrew is not the first to be pushed aside. It is a core subject. Not a slogan, but a policy. Hebrew lessons are not canceled in order to make room for other events. If a change in the schedule is required, we find a solution that ensures Hebrew will be taught first that day, before any other activity. The priorities in action reflects the priorities of values.

The students see this. They understand that the statement about the importance of Hebrew is not merely rhetoric. It is backed by decisions.

This is expressed in the examination system as well. Hebrew is not pushed to the end. It is given priority. When students see this, they understand the school’s true priorities.

Experiential and Dynamic Hebrew

I emphasize to my team that the goal is not only to teach a language. It is important to develop love for the language, but the key is to create a dynamic and meaningful experience around Hebrew.

One way to do this is through elements of gamification. At the end of each learning unit, we summarize the material through a Kahoot activity in Hebrew, in which students compete with one another while reviewing vocabulary and linguistic structures they have learned. In this way, Hebrew moves beyond the boundaries of the page and notebook and enters the digital space in which students naturally operate.

At times, the activity also moves into the physical space of the classroom. On Tu Bishvat, for example, we held an inquiry activity in which students scanned QR codes hidden around the classroom. With clues in Hebrew, they searched for information about trees and flowers that grow in the Land of Israel. The language became a tool for discovery and searching, not only for rote practice.

The senses are also integrated into the learning process. When topics related to foods are studied, students taste Israeli foods and discuss them in Hebrew. In units dealing with contemporary issues, such as protecting the environment and recycling, students create informational posters in Hebrew using digital tools such as Canva.

At times, events from the cultural world also become an opportunity for meaningful learning. When the poet and creator Yehonatan Geffen passed away, I chose to pause the sequence of the learning unit for a moment and expose my seventh-grade students to his figure and his contribution to Hebrew and Israeli culture. In the lesson, we conducted a literary and audio-visual analysis of the song “The Little Prince,” while providing background on Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book, given that the song’s central figure was based the character in the novel. We concluded the learning by listening to Eline Golan’s performance of the song. The song also opened the door to a broader conversation about the historical and social context in which it was written and about the way literature and poetry reflect life experiences and Israeli society. Through the words and the various interpretations, we discussed with the students feelings, emotions, and personal, social, and national struggles raised by the texts. In this way, the Hebrew lesson becomes a space in which language, literature, history, and culture meet and deepen one another.

In an era in which students can learn words or expressions through apps, the advantage of the Hebrew lesson is the connection to values, culture, heritage, religion, and the Land of Israel. The language becomes a bridge between knowledge and experience, between the classroom and life itself. Love of the language develops out of this experience.

In order for Hebrew to be alive and relevant, it is integrated into all areas of twenty-first-century learning: critical thinking, teamwork, creativity, and innovation. Presentations, videos, digital tools, and technological assignments—everything is done through the use of Hebrew.

Thus, Hebrew is not a “language of the past” but a living, modern, and relevant language. It enables students to communicate, create, and think in Hebrew in the technological age.

Without Hebrew, What Remains?

Over the years, my understanding has grown stronger that the question is not whether Hebrew is as important as mathematics or science. That comparison misses the point. The real question is what defines the character and soul of a Jewish educational institution.

There is no doubt: mathematics is important, science is essential, and every field of knowledge contributes to the construction of the student’s world. But in a Jewish school, Hebrew is not just another subject alongside others; it is a pillar. It is the language in which our sources were written, in which our culture was shaped, in which our prayer is formulated, and in which our state speaks.

Hebrew is not an identity ornament. It is the foundation that gives depth and meaning to all the other components of Jewish education. Without it, even if our students are Jewish, the school may lose its essential Jewish character. Therefore, the status of Hebrew must remain strong and clear.