Hello all!

This week we lit the first candle of Chanukah! Chanuukah in Judaism is a time that miracles happen! Always, when the festival arrives, I make a concerted effort to think about the miracles that I would like to happen; after all, everything is just a matter of faith.

This week was very nice in Ulpan here in Tel Aviv. We got two new students and the interesting thing was that both of them spoke Hebrew very well! You could even say that both of them spoke Hebrew like Israelis and the situation was a little amusing because it felt like I was teaching Hebrew to native Israelis. I guess that it wasn't just the language rather it was the Israeli mentality that they have acquired in recent years which gives them the sense of being Israeli.

One of the things that I think is the most special about our Ulpan is that we take Hebrew learning to a very practical level. I really like to get to know the students and their interests and according to this, I can then give them texts that they will find interesting. This makes their Ulpan studies a real learning experience. The student feels not only that they are learning a new language, rather, that they can find themselves within their new language and feel more at ease with Hebrew. I can see in their eyes that when they speak about something close to their hearts, or about themselves; the fact that they can speak about it in Hebrew moves them.

There is nothing that makes me happier than when a student manages to break the language barrier and successfully passes the challenge that they have set before themselves. More than once have I seen in students of ours, that following a successful course, the student not only changes their perspective on learning a new language but also their whole outlook changes.

I wish you all a happy Chanukah and may all our wishes come true.

Sarai