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Does Hebrew Still Matter Some Answers F

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A stark gap exists between aspirational Hebrew language use and actual practice among Conservative rabbis, raising questions about Hebrew's role in contemporary Jewish leadership. Through comprehensive needs analysis surveys of 533 participants - including 330 Conservative rabbis, 124 congregational presidents, and 79 rabbinical students from major seminaries - clear patterns emerged across three domains: in-synagogue professional use, out-of-synagogue professional use, and private use. While all groups prioritized in-synagogue Hebrew use over other contexts, practicing rabbis' actual Hebrew usage (mean = 3.16) fell significantly below both congregational presidents' expectations (mean = 3.94) and rabbinical students' aspirations (mean = 4.33). Rabbis demonstrated stronger receptive skills (reading and listening) than productive skills (speaking and writing), with those over 60 reporting markedly higher Hebrew usage than younger colleagues. Despite Conservative Judaism's historical emphasis on Hebrew literacy, contemporary rabbinical practice reveals limited Hebrew utilization beyond liturgical and text study contexts. These findings suggest the need for enhanced Hebrew language instruction in rabbinical education to bridge the gap between ideological commitment and practical implementation.

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    Published 2010

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    Nitza Krohn