A new community emerges in Ann Arbor! On the evening of Nov. 30th, more than 30 Israelis, from various ages and walks of lives gathered at the JCC for a first “Israeli community gathering” in many years, here in Ann Arbor. The meeting was initiated by myself (A.F), as the new community Shaliach to Ann Arbor, and facilitated by myself and Milka Eliav, HDS Hebrew teaching coordinator.
The meeting included a lecture and a workshop on the Hebrew language, followed by the work of Avraham Shlonslky, a prominent Israeli poet and linguist. The participants learned about Shlonky’s life and creation, about some of the many Hebrew words and idioms he invented and are still in everyday use, and about those words who did not “catch in” and were left on paper. In the workshop, participants were challenged to invent new Hebrew words and discover the meaning of the other participants’ words. It was a joyous evening indeed!
There are more gatherings to come! If you are an Israeli Hebrew speaker, and wish to meet other Israelis, please contact me, Amichay Findling by E-mail: amichay@jewishannarbor.org.