Questions for people who have made aliya

maofboys

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 4:03 pm

We are currently very serious about making aliya in the next few years (not this year) my kids are still young but in a few years they will be in grade school. In Israel I guess we would be considered daati leumi but here in the states we are more yeshivish then MO (is there something in between? I would call us strictly orthodox). the problem is none of the yeshevas here I have seen teach Ivrit B'ivrit and I am very worried about my kids education and how difficult it will be for them when we move. have any of you had such an issue? how did your kids react to the move? was it easy for them to make friends? was the language thing a huge issue? Please include kids ages when you moved.

Tamiri

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 4:24 pm

I think that up until first grade, there is no issue. I believe that up to the end of 3rd grade, there may be minor issues which can be overcome easily with some private lessons. Probably into 4th and 5th as well. From 6th grade, when I made Aliya WITH good Ivrit (this was in the early 70s), it was hard -not so much because of the language, but because of all the things I was missing: Israel was ahead in math, geometry, geography and of course limudai kodesh. Only in recent years, when I was doing homework with my childen, did I realize where the gaps were and why I had a such a hard time catching up (in a time where there was NBN or Olim guidance - I was basically on my own).
OTOH some people come with children as late as 8th grade, and with massive tutoring, the kids "make it".
As long as your kids are little, before middle school, they will probably be fine. You can get an Israeli in to do some Hebrew with them, or get Israeli DVDs or if you have a TV, I think there is an Israeli TV channel out there. Also, doing some extra Hebrew reading would help. If at all possible to send them to a Zionistic MO school, even if it's not exactly your religious level - I'd do it, if only for the Hebrew (assuming the school actually teaches Hebrew, and Limudai Kodesh in Hebrew).
BeHatzlacha!

Ruchel

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 4:31 pm

It would be good to send them to a school with the best Hebrew level, not just learning Hebrew but Israeli Hebrew. I once had a job interview in a great well known Orthodox school, and the director told me how great the boys were with learning. I asked him about spoken Hebrew, and he said "by the time they finish HS they can lead a simple conversation". shock

If you are more yeshivish or JPF, you may have to send to a school with a different hashkafa from yours in order to have a good level. As you may have to do in Israel if you are more yeshivish or JPF sending to dati (and also to charedi!). Dati and chul MO aren't the same necessarily, nor dati and chul JPF, not chul yeshivish and IL charedi... in both cases you'll have to adapt. Though less so in a school "for olim".

Also an advice, look for the school in Israel NOW. Look around, take infos, and when it's done contact them and see if it's the right fit in mentality and hashkafa. When you have the school you have enough like minded people around and it will fall into place. Contact rabbis of the place in advance to get a better idea of the kehila. Also local alia specialists. It's good to have several views and advices from different hashkafot and frumkeit levels too.

(note to the usual bashers: don't lose your time)

zipporah

Sun, Sep 26 2010, 5:40 pm

We made aliyah with a 3 year old and a 1 year old in May. The 3 year old started gan that September. The gannenet was surprised we didn't speak Hebrew. 3 years later Hebrew is the preferred language for both kids. We had friends who came with a first grader and it was harder.

NBN recommended a copy of 100 First Hebrew Songs. Stuff kids learn in gan and in daycare. Imagine if you didn't know Humpty Dumpty or Jack and Jill... it's the Hebrew Equivalent.

DrMom

Mon, Sep 27 2010, 2:58 pm

Come sooner rather than later.

It's not so rare for a child to start gan w/out knowing Hebrew. It happens to many children of English-speaking (or Russian-speaking, etc.) olim who only speak their mother tongues at home. If you move to a town with lots of olim, the gans are prepared for this.

But it is rarer for a child to enter, say, 3rd grade, without knowing Hebrew, and the adjustment may be harder.

FWIW, we speak English at home, so when my children went to gan, it was their first time in a Hebrew-speaking envoronment. So far, they are doing fine, after a slight adjustment period.

I think it would have been harder if they were plunged into kitah gimmel without knowing the language. For one thing, there are actual lessons they need to understand, and not knowing Hebrew will make it harder. For another thing, kids socialize more at that age than they do when they are 3, so they really need the language more.

maofboys

Mon, Sep 27 2010, 11:15 pm

Thank you for all the advice. I read them Hebrew books and they watch gan dudu all the time, I try and use as many Hebrew words in my vocabulary as I can but my grammar is not good enough to talk to them all the time in Hebrew (although my dh can and tries too). we will probably move when my oldest is in 4th grade. I am nervous to move later then that because I have heard terrible stories of kids who hate it so much. my big concern is my choice in school now, some of you said send to a MO school here even though it is not our hashkafa, but we didn't and I am not sure if we made the right decision. but we are willing to supplement and get private tutoring as then get older I am just not sure it will be enough.