I used to be afraid to give lectures in Hebrew. I was familiar with various subjects, and I had information to offer. However, I did sound like an American, and I was embarrassed by my accent.

However, after a few lectures, in which I was far more concerned about the sound of my resh than about my message, I began to get more and more relaxed. I realized that people did not care about my accent. It was irrelevant. It was not an issue. It didn’t matter.

Americans tend to laugh at those with "foreign" accents. However, Israelis are more accepting. It took a considerable amount of time for me to accept this difference.

It also took me some time to realize that the audience was not just being kind or courteous. They really didn't care about the accent. It wasn't just that particular audience. The next audience was the same.

Perhaps this is because there are so many other immigrants here.

By now I don't think twice about speaking before audiences in Hebrew. This, despite the fact that I still can’t pronounce a proper Israeli resh - and I've been here since 1974.