Anonymous wrote:I imagine students attracted to learning Hebrew would also form a strong cohort. Looks like a recipe for success.

I can't tell if this poster is aware or not -- but her whole post reads like code for "charter designed for upper middle class white kids, high-achievers only, please."

This school could be a good idea if well-executed. In my mind's eye that would include a lot of emphasis on peace studies, politics, and maybe also arabic offerings. But boosters are going to have to stop talking out of both sides of their mouths (this exclusive-sounding "strong cohort" is designed to appeal to all DC kids, really!). And they will have to convince the Charter Board that it can appeal to AA kids from SE in ways that don't sound totally patronizing and based on wishful thinking ("I had thought AA's identified with 'The Hebrews,' no?").

Anonymous wrote:I had actually thought that identification with "The Hebrews" was a traditional part of many AAs' culture, no? They certainly did in the 19th century, but even today I'd say it's around in some strains of Protestantism.

as far as I know, only groups such as the african hebrew israelites are of that mindset....

Anonymous wrote:I had actually thought that identification with "The Hebrews" was a traditional part of many AAs' culture, no? They certainly did in the 19th century, but even today I'd say it's around in some strains of Protestantism.

Anonymous wrote:I've never seen Latin take flack for teaching an elitist curriculum on this board. Grief for having 6% FARMS, but never for the curriculum being elitist.

I have seen it take flack for teaching a dead white man's language.

I had actually thought that identification with "The Hebrews" was a traditional part of many AAs' culture, no? They certainly did in the 19th century, but even today I'd say it's around in some strains of Protestantism.

I've never seen Latin take flack for teaching an elitist curriculum on this board. Grief for having 6% FARMS, but never for the curriculum being elitist.

Washington Latin takes a lot of flack - you can see some of it on DCUM - for teaching an "elitist" curriculum. But 2/3 of the school is actually AA, and 90% in some grades. Color me skeptical that this would happen with a Hebrew school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Willingness to learn Hebrew could be a front for eagerness to avoid the type of people who would never dream of learning Hebrew -- most blacks

HappyThanksgiving my friend. It struck me that someone sat down and typed out what you did at 8:30 on Thanksgiving Eve.

This was my first thought, too. And I didn't even come on DCUM on Thanksgiving Day. Minority politics are big in DC. To get past the charter board, the school is going to have to show how it could attract other racial minorities, not just a handful of whites who are "willing to put up with a little Hebrew."

Many DC charters are not diverse right now -- they are majority or total AA.

I do believe the the Hebrew school would be attractive to non-jewish parents who will put up with a little hebrew to have their kids taught along side smart jewish kids. Like a little inside joke.

The hebrew itself is not very valuable to practicing jews, except at bar mitzvah time. Taxpayers should pay for this?

The whole concept seems contrived.

Problem is that Hebrew would have limited appeal except for those who might want to live and work in Israel, probably mostly folks of Jewish faith. That would make it difficult to get a diverse population of students and to get enough students to even make the charter viable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's anti-semitic to say that the Hebrew language is of little interest outside jewish culture. It doesn't have even have that much interest within Jewish culture. Few American Jews speak it, except as part of religious ceremonies.

Latin, on the contrary, is the basis for many of the languages of the modern world, and Chinese and Arabic are spoken widely.

Hebrew is the official language of one very small country - Israel. Arabic is also an official language of Israel and English is widely spoken.

Would the school focus on ancient or modern hebrew, or both? Of what educational value is Hebrew to kids who are not Jewish?

Frankly it sounds like a separation of church and state issue.

Wrong. That's where the "choice" factor comes in. If you don't want your child to learn Hebrew, you simply don't enrol him.

It's sad how many people are aware of "their rights!!" without understanding what the are, and/or, are not.

How about we open a charter school with a creationist theme and if you want you child to learn about evolution, you simply don't enroll him.

Anonymous wrote:Willingness to learn Hebrew could be a front for eagerness to avoid the type of people who would never dream of learning Hebrew -- most blacks

HappyThanksgiving my friend. It struck me that someone sat down and typed out what you did at 8:30 on Thanksgiving Eve.

Willingness to learn Hebrew could be a front for eagerness to avoid the type of people who would never dream of learning Hebrew -- most blacks

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's anti-semitic to say that the Hebrew language is of little interest outside jewish culture. It doesn't have even have that much interest within Jewish culture. Few American Jews speak it, except as part of religious ceremonies.

Latin, on the contrary, is the basis for many of the languages of the modern world, and Chinese and Arabic are spoken widely.

Hebrew is the official language of one very small country - Israel. Arabic is also an official language of Israel and English is widely spoken.

Would the school focus on ancient or modern hebrew, or both? Of what educational value is Hebrew to kids who are not Jewish?

Frankly it sounds like a separation of church and state issue.

Wrong. That's where the "choice" factor comes in. If you don't want your child to learn Hebrew, you simply don't enrol him.

It's sad how many people are aware of "their rights!!" without understanding what the are, and/or, are not.

Do any of the founders work in religious organizations?