Mayberg Foundation Joins Educators at Hebrew at the Center Session on Inclusive Hebrew Language Learning

sharon freundel joins greater washington area jewish day school educators at pritzat derech session

Pritzat Derech: Hebrew for All is an initiative transforming Hebrew instruction for Jewish day school students with language-based learning differences like dyslexia. Led by Mayberg Foundation partner Hebrew at the Center (HATC) with support from the The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, it employs research-backed, structured literacy tailored to Hebrew's unique challenges, enabling teachers to better support neurodiverse learners. The goal is to bridge academic gaps and foster Jewish identity and belonging, ensuring no child is left behind due to language complexities.

Hebrew at the center team met at mayberg foundation offices for pritzat derech strategic planning

Recently, JEIC Managing Director Sharon Freundel represented the Mayberg Foundation at the third in-person Pritzat Derech session. The event brought together about 75 teachers from four area Jewish day schools, focusing on lesson planning, groupings, and methods for making Hebrew texts more accessible. Led entirely in Hebrew by HATC Chief of Staff and Director of Education Dr. Esty Gross, the session inspired educators to design grade-level plans tailored to their students’ needs. "The principles of effective Hebrew language instruction were presented in such a clear and compelling way," Sharon shared. "During small group work, I noticed that nearly everyone in the room was fully immersed in the activity—it was remarkable to see that level of engagement."

Sharon also joined other funders and HATC board members to discuss future strategies and success measures for the project, emphasizing the collaborative and forward-thinking spirit driving Pritzat Derech’s growth. The next day, HATC staff met at the Mayberg Foundation’s offices with their full planning group to start putting these ideas into action.