I just received a nice comment from the father of a bar mitzvah boy: "We are very thankful for your work in preparing S. to be able to take this next step. He loved working with you and he would not be able to go forward with this without you and your lessons. We appreciate everything you did for us and for
him."
What with social distancing measures everywhere, I feel very lucky to be able to continue my work exactly as usual. If you're stuck at home, why not sign up for some lessons?
After celebrating her bat mitzvah, a student sent me this wonderful letter: "שלום Bettina!...Somehow, you managed to make me be completely able to read and... understand Hebrew...For me it is a huge accomplishment to read Hebrew, and now I sometimes do Duolingo to stay good at it. I can't put into words how much you helped me with that because I've been wanting to learn how to read Hebrew for a while now. I also enjoyed learning about the stories on the Torah, which I found very interesting and intriguing. You are an amazing bat mitzvah teacher.... Thank you so much for being a great teacher. " Aren't these kinds of letters what keep us going?
This is the first time I'm teaching the younger sister of a student I prepared for her bat mitzvah. It's interesting to learn how siblings are similar but not the same. I'm glad to have repeat customers like this family!
R recently celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah after several months of weekly lessons with me. Mazal tov! I'm looking forward to working with her younger sister who is already signed up for bat mitzvah lessons with me.
I'm so proud of my newest bat mitzvah student from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The family traveled to Calgary, Alberta to celebrate, since Yellowknife doesn't have a Jewish community. Her mom sent me these pictures: "Yes we are still basking in the glow of nachas from the Bat Mitzvah! I’m so proud!! Thank you again for the amazing work you did with T." Mazal tov, T!
A happy father of a bar mitzvah boy: "Thank you very much for working with Paul, he did really well and the Rabbi was happy with your prep work."
P clearly had a blast at his bar mitzvah recently. I was so glad to hear his father tell me I had prepared P really well. It looks like it was a really beautiful outdoor service. Mazal tov, P!
After studying with me for 15 months, R celebrated her bat mitzvah last Saturday. Her mom reported to me:
"She was amazing. The whole thing was perfect. I will send you pics and video as soon as I get them. Thank you so much for all your hard work. She couldn’t have been better prepared."
“I have found Bettina to be a patient, gentle and encouraging teacher full of relevant and effective techniques customized for me as a learner. I would highly recommend her to anyone who studies Modern Hebrew at the graduate level.” - rabbinical student
Right now, I am excited, because this week, parshat Lech lecha, I have not one, but TWO students who will become bat mitzvah! It's such a great parsha, and I can't wait to hear about my students reading it. (Not surprisingly, after spending months teaching this parsha, I felt very comfortable volunteering to read Torah at my own synagogue this week!)
V. and M. are a 16 year old sister, and 11 year old brother. They live in the medieval university town of Uppsala, Sweden. It has no organized Jewish community. Together, they are studying with me to become b'nai mitzvah. Even though their English is good, they are happy to have found a tutor who can speak to them in their native Swedish. They are learning the Hebrew alef bet, and Torah stories in English. Soon, we will start to study their Torah portion. I couldn't be more thrilled to teach this pair of enthusiastic, lovable kids!
Mazal tov to P! After studying with me for several months, P. was ready for his bar mitzvah. His dad wrote to me : "Everything went great. P. was very well prepared and everyone had a great time. I will send you some pictures later." Watch for pictures.
R. was born in the US, to Iraqi born Israeli parents who sometimes spoke Hebrew at home. Now in his 40s, he is great at initiating a Hebrew conversation, (with a great accent,) but gets stuck when people answer him, because he doesn't understand them. He is now taking Hebrew conversation lessons with me. We started at the beginning of the textbook, but are progressing very fast, since he is not a total beginner. I predict great success for R!
S. is a doctor in his fifties, who used to read Torah as a teenager. Now, he wants a refresher course in Torah trope. Together, we go over the different notes, and apply them to the text. He is learning fast. Fun!
Last week, I attended the adult bat mitzvah ceremony of Sylvia Silberg, in the liberal synagogue of The Hague, Netherlands. I had tutored her for ten months, and she did a fantastic job, reading Torah and Haftarah! We can both be seen in this picture, up on Bimah during the Torah reading. Here is what she writes:
When I turned 12 in 1974 there was absolutely no possibility for me to do a Bat Mitzwa. At that time my family was a member of the only synagogue in Munich , Germany and that was an orthodox one. Women and girls sat upstairs behind bars and followed the services from up there. Although I was told girls have other responsibilities that are also important, it never quite felt a fair deal. Boys and men were not only allowed to read Torah but could also give their view and interpretation of the Torah portion. Their contributions were celebrated and boys were seen as
“real “ members of the community.
It is that last aspect in particular that motivated me , now 45 years later to do my Bat Mitzwa.I felt women may have a different view on the scriptures and it was therefore important to combine both male and female interpretations to have a more complete body of meaning. In my current conservative synagogue in The Hague , the Netherlands, the services are completely egalitarian and we also have a female Rabbi. So everything is possible for women to do.
Bettina was an excellent teacher, patient and supportive in those moments when I thought I would never pull through. She also accommodated to my work schedule and provided me with excellent recordings of her own beautiful voice. All sessions were done on Skype and that was no problem at all.
Being 57 years old and a psychologist as well as a student of literature allowed me to integrate the Torah into a wealth of knowledge I had no access to as a 12 year old. As we find new interpretations of the Haggadah every Seder Pessach so the Torah portions will light up our intellect as we go through life, every period or year highlighting other aspects of our then present life situations.
I would recommend fellow women who like me were not able to go through this rite of passage in puberty to still take the step up the Bimah now. It is not only a personal enrichment but also allows the community to really receive what women have to offer as well.
Bettina is a great example and a mentor of having studied to become a cantor herself as well as supporting you in all aspects in your delving into your Jewish heritage and your journey towards personal and communal meaning. I can strongly recommend this so enriching process.
"Eli and Zoe were just beaming. When they read from the Torah there wasn't a closed mouth or a dry eye in the room. We couldn't have done it without you," reports a happy grandmother from Florida.
Another set of twins successfully brought into the community of Jewish adults.
"You encourage, support, give wonderful expertise and show interest and compassion. Through you, my E. and Z. have been introduced to the 'ways' of Judaism and I will be forever grateful." The words of a happy grandmother.
The mother of a teenager I tutor wrote to me: "I love your website. If I know anyone looking for a tutor, I will pass your information along to them. So you know, A. LOVES working with you. She talks about you and looks forward to her lessons every week." So nice to hear!
I recently taught N. and L., twin brother and sister, for their bar and bat mitzvah, which they did on the top of Masada in Israel. Their father wrote, "L. and N. did a fantastic job on their Torah portions... Thank you so much for helping prepare them! "
As summer break starts, many people go on vacation. But if you take online lessons, Jewish learning doesn't have to stop. I will connect with you, wherever you are! Happy summer!
My 11 year old student read the Four Questions in Hebrew first time this week, and REALLY impressed her family!
C contacts me before Rosh Hashana and Pesach, to help her prepare to read Torah for her minyan. She apparently aced it this weekend. This is what she wrote to me: "Thank you once again for your help. The Torah reading went wonderfully!"
Jewtor updated their website address.
My student J just had his bar mitzvah. His mother wrote to me afterwards: "(He) did so well, it was a wonderful day! He was very nervous at the start, but as he got going he relaxed and he really did a good job. We were so proud of him, and he was very proud of himself.
Thank you so much for all of your help teaching him, for your patience and your kindness. He was very well prepared."
It's cute to see mother and daughter studying conversational Hebrew together. The daughter is 11, and has no prior knowledge of Hebrew. The mother has Hebrew school Hebrew from her childhood, and remembers a little. This summer, they are travelling to Israel together to attend ulpan, intensive Hebrew training. Good luck to them!
There is such a variety of students coming my way: They live in Sweden, the Netherlands, all over the US and Canada!
Who would have thought? A new bat mitzvah student from the city of Yellowknife. In the Canadian Northwest Territories. Jewish population : one family. I'm glad to be of service.
L and I met while taking summer classes at the Conservative Yeshiva last summer. After we all returned to our homes, she contacted me to tell me she would like to keep up her Hebrew. So twice a week we study online together, using the Brandeis Modern Hebrew textbook. She sets the pace, and I help her fill in the gaps she has from previous Hebrew studies.
Since A, 14, went to Jewish day school for middle school only, she was constantly behind in Hebrew. The 8th grade graduation trip to Israel turned her on to the language, however, and now that she is in public high school, she wants to study modern Hebrew with me. We meet online twice a week for thirty minutes, and she is filling in the gaps, and progressing quickly.
I just heard from the mother of a girl I tutored for her bat mitzvah:
Ohh Bettina she was beyond amazing!! She left her mark and set the bar high that is for sure. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and help! We appreciate your tutoring so much and could not have done it without you!!!
The young woman who is attending Rabbinical school feels she needs some help with her Hebrew class. Twice a week, we study from her textbook to get her caught up.
Z & E are twins. A boy and a girl. Their grandmother contacted me about preparing them to become bnai mitzvah. It's fun to see the friendly competition between them as they take turns reading in Hebrew for me.
K, 11, has been living in Nevada with her family for two years, and they haven't found a synagogue to join. K will be celebrating her bat mitzvah in Israel in the summer of 2019. I am giving her weekly lessons in Hebrew reading and Torah stories. In a few months, I will start to teach her the specific texts she will chant her for her bat mitzvah ceremony.
Things are just hopping here at jewtor. Just signed up THREE new families for bar/bat mitzvah lessons!
12 year old S is an amazing student. In preparation for becoming a bat mitzvah, she takes charge of her learning. "Can we practice the haftarah now?" she asks me. Or "let's go over the prayers." She'll go far, I predict.
Reading Lamentations outside, overlooking Jerusalem, as we commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temples.
A. is hoping to go through a conversion process. His rabbi told him to pick a book from Torah to learn. He is studying Ecclesiastes (Qohelet) with me.We read both the Hebrew and English, as well as commentaries. We'll finish this rich text in a few months.
B. has been learning Hebrew with me for a little over a year now. I think it was after he learned the past tense that his conversational skills really took off. I call him up, and he tells me what he did over the weekend! In correct Hebrew! Proud of my student. But we keep on studying. There is much to learn. 🙂
Thank you so much for all the likes! Don't forget to tell your friends who want to learn Hebrew (conversational or liturgical) to contact me at www.jewtor.com.
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One-on-one Hebrew/Jewish tutoring - in a non-threatening, supportive learning environment with a gentle, private tutor.A. is a pretty mother of four who grew up in Latvia. She now lives in the US with her Israeli husband. When they visit his family in Israel every year, A. wants to be able to understand the conversation around the dinner table. She is taking my introduction to Hebrew course, and progressing quickly.
Baby steps
L lives in Florida and is learning Hebrew with me so she'll be able to talk with her 3 year old granddaughter who lives in Israel. Recently, while they were playing a game where you take turns, the granddaughter pointed to L and said "at!" to indicate it was L's turn. L was thrilled to be able to report to me that she had understood!
My conversational Hebrew student J. who lives in the American Southwest, went with her husband on a trip to Israel. This was no reason to stop the lessons. We continue to connect online from her hotel room. She is enjoying the immersion, reading street signs and hearing Hebrew spoken. A trip to Israel is a great complement to her Hebrew lessons with me.
Even though J. had a bar mitzvah, he doesn't remember all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, now that he is a young adult. So we are starting from the very beginning, using the Brandeis Modern Hebrew textbook. He is planning to study Hebrew together with his fiancée, but she is ahead of him, so I am helping him catch up. Watch out, or he'll overtake you!
L. has a daughter and a granddaughter living in Israel. L. wants to be able to converse in Hebrew when she visits Israel, and is progressing fast in her lessons with me.
The mother of a boy I tutored for his bar mitzvah just wrote to me: Bettina worked tirelessly with my 13-year-old son in the final months of his bar mitzvah preparations. She literally saved the day in tutoring him in Hebrew, helping him to prepare his d'var Torah, and working with him on his blessings. Jonah adored his classes with her. She provoked his thinking with humour, compassion, intelligence and respect. She was also very easy to work with in regard to logistics. All in all, we are deeply grateful for Bettina’s help and would recommend her without hesitation.
The mother of a student whom I tutored for her bat mitzvah recently wrote to me: "I can’t thank Bettina enough for giving my daughter the foundation of a Jewish education and preparing her for her Bat Mitzvah. Bettina was able to create a curriculum that fit our background and provided guidance on her becoming a Bat Mitzvah. We are bit of a complex family as we are an inter-racial family with one Jewish parent (my husband has always been supportive of having a Jewish home and raising our daughter Jewish). We didn’t belong to a synagogue, so we were also unsure of what her Bat Mitzvah would be.
In 14 months, Bettina got her reading Hebrew and taught her the Torah, Jewish history and prayers – she also taught her what it means to be a mensch and prepared or her to receive an aliyah for her Bat Mitzvah. For us, this was the perfect Bat Mitzvah!
Bettina is a wonderful teacher, great with children and easy to work with. She makes the online lessons fun, interesting and engaging with music, poetry and art. My daughter looked forward to her lessons each week and really enjoyed her time with Bettina
We only had two months to prepare with bar mitzvah tutoring, but it was a success! J celebrated his bar mitzvah in Jerusalem, happily holding the Torah!
My student A looked this happy when she celebrated after 14 months of bat mitzvah tutoring with me.
J. will be celebrating his bar mitzvah in Israel at the end of the month, and I am helping him craft a d'var Torah. We've read his parsha together in English, and discussed some interesting points. It's fun to see an adolescent engage in the intellectual process!
I had given C. some tutoring in Torah reading for a few weeks, in preparation for a bat mitzvah she was attending. Well, she pulled it off: she went to the bat mitzvah, and she read flawlessly, and she said it was a wonderful, spiritual experience!
J. studies conversational Hebrew with me. Today she told me how much she appreciates it that I am as patient as she needs me to be. I told her it doesn't matter how long it takes her to understand something. I'll explain it, show it, sing it, draw it, dance it, whatever she needs until she gets it!
B. approached me for Hebrew tutoring seven months ago, and has been having three 30 minute lessons every week. We now have conversations in Hebrew that are really interesting. He was recently asked to witness a ketuba at a wedding, and he sent me a picture of where he had signed his Hebrew name beautifully, including his mother's name in his signature. Way to go, B!
Anna is interested in conversational Hebrew . She already speaks some Hebrew, but wants some enrichment and wants to gain fluency. We have lots of fun while we engage in Hebrew conversation about her children, and about life in general!
C. is my new student from Colorado. She is interested in tutoring in Torah reading. She will chant publicly from the Torah next month, at a bar mitzvah. We go over the tropes every week, and then we apply them to her assigned text. She is making quick progress!
A. has been meeting me online for bat mitzvah tutoring for a little over a year. She studied Hebrew and Torah stories, as well as holidays. A. had an aliyah to the Torah on Sukkot. I'm so proud of her! We're continuing to learn Hebrew prayers.
Only in Israel does it happen that your wagon driver blows the shofar, right? Thank you to Dan Schwarzman for being quick with the cellphone camera! m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159288242645182&id=504605181
J. has an Israeli girlfriend, and so he is motivated to learn modern, conversational Hebrew really fast. A few times a week, we do a 30 minute lesson, using the Brandeis Modern Hebrew textbook. With its practical approach, it gets you talking quickly!
When A, 12, started studying with me almost a year ago, she knew zero Hebrew letters. Even though she lives in New York, there was no opportunity for her to learn, since she is a serious soccer player. I was able to create a schedule that worked for her. Now she can read anything. She has learned the blessings for going up to the Torah, and is becoming familiar with the prayer service in preparation for becoming a bat mitzvah in two months. She has also learned all the stories from the Torah, and we have had profound discussions about how they will impact her life, and the decisions she will make. I would say that A has gained a deep Jewish identity! I'm looking forward to her bat mitzvah with excitement!
Not sure I'd be comfortable eating in this restaurant. Anyone know what "Sakana" means in Japanese? I only know that it means "danger" in Hebrew!
My new student from New York who is just learning the Hebrew alef bet tells me, after a few lessons, "I can tell I'm becoming more fluent. I'm reading signs everywhere." Flabbergasted, I asked her "uh.. where do you live!?" She said "Borough Park." Well, that explains it.
The modern State of Israel is 69 years old. Today we celebrate the anniversary of the greatest event in Jewish history, probably since the giving of the Torah! Happy Yom Haatsmaut! יום עצמאות שמח!
Marie Antoinette wants to know: What are the four mitzvot of Purim? Answer in comments.
Would you like to learn how to correctly lead a Jewish service? Write to me here, or on www.jewtor.com. I will teach you how to do it!
Leading 100 rabbis in morning prayers. The room resonates with responses, participation, feeling. Making sacred space and time - what a privilege!
V. livres in France 🇫🇷. She became a Jew several years ago, and regularly attends synagogue services. But she wants to better understand the prayers she reads. We've been going over the amidah, reading together from a Hebrew French prayer book, and discussing the meaning, and also making sure she knows the choreography. I think we both enjoy these encounters!
Greetings from Israel! I am in here to celebrate my son's wedding. Spending some time in my beloved Jerusalem this week. This picture was taken at the top of the rebuilt Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. What an amazing view! You can see the Mount of Olives in the back towards the right.
We had to wait until shabbat is over before we could light candles tonight, so the background is dark this time. Shavua tov, and happy Hanukkah!
A different member of the family gets to light the Chanukah candles each night. חנוכה שמח!
M. spends most of his time in a rehab center, having suffered an accident. But that's no reason to consider his time wasted! He uses it well! He wants to say Kaddish for a beloved aunt, and is learning how to do it with understanding. We discuss the meaning, historical development and practice of the mourners' Kaddish. Then we practice pronouncing the words. Way to go M!
God caused the first genocide, but then He/She gave us the rainbow as an eternal symbol of promises kept. Listen from minute 4 to hear me discuss the story of Noah with Eitan Gutin of ParshaCast. Would you like to learn more Torah like this? Contact me here, or on my website www.jewtor.com.
ParshaCast 002 - Noach 2016/5777
parshacast.com
ParshaCast 002 - Noach 2016/5777 posted on Nov 3, 2016 by Eitan Gutin in b2evolution Eitan reads his first piece of fan mail, discusses Montreal bagels Noach's riteousness with Bettina Schwarzman, chats with Dr. Allison Kaufman about the modern day Noahs working in zoos and aquariums, and talks abou...Getting ready for a Skype lesson with jewtor. Learning Torah is fun! Chag sameach!
Entering the holiday of Simhat Torah - Rejoicing with the Torah. This is a great time to start studying the weekly Torah portion. Contact www.jewtor.com for more information!
Jewtor – Personal Jewish, Hebrew, Bat Mitzvah, Bar Mitzvah, and Bible Tutor
www.jewtor.com
Jewtor – Personal Jewish, Hebrew, and Bible Tutoring One-on-one Jewish, Hebrew, and Bible Tutoring Maybe you live far from a Jewish metropolis. Maybe your rabbi or cantor is too busy to sit down with you one-on-one to help you learn how to chant Torah or Haftarah. Maybe you’re too shy to ask for a c...Did you know? While Jews greet each other on holidays by saying Chag sameach (happy holiday), there's a special greeting for the intermediate days, those "half holidays" that we are in right now : Moadim lesimchah! And you'll sound like you're REALLY in the know, if you can answer: chagim uzmanim lesasson!