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Before coming to Israel I wanted to be sure that I would be able to communicate with the people better than others who have come here. I had taken various courses in modern Hebrew after completing Yeshiva and my undergraduate minor in Hebrew. I even took some courses in Yiddish. They helped even less but that was because of the course not because of its necessity.

In college I studied English Education. I went to a public college, not a Jewish college. However, I knew at that time there was no question that I would be going to Israel. I took notes in Hebrew. My Hebrew wasn’t really good enough to take all of the notes so I had to make believe with some of the words and I had to sound out English sounding words where I didn’t know it but I just got used to listening and writing in Hebrew. It actually helped me concentrate more on the lessons and I was able to do quite well. It was also a conversation starter and it put me in touch in yet another way with people who go to Israel.

But that wasn't enough. I bought records (remember those vinyl disks that were used with a record player? You don't? If you know somebody who is very old, then you can ask them if they have some stashed away in the attic). I listened to those popular songs so that I could learn modern Hebrew slang. I befriended Israelis and insisted on talking to them in Hebrew. I bought Israeli newspapers - not the watered down versions, but the full, expensive versions - and read them cover to cover. I didn't just read the sections that interested me. I wanted to be aware of everything. Sports and entertainment didn't interest me, but I read about them. I read advertisements for items that I couldn't buy in the States, so that I could understand advertising terminology and the expressions that were used for buying and selling.

It did pay off. By the time I came to Israel, I knew the language rather well. However, it did sound funny. It wasn't just my American accent. The newspapers did not have vowels, so I made up my own vowels as I read the material. The good side was that my spelling was very good as a result. The bad side was that my invented vowels made the word incomprehensible to many Israelis. To this day, my children have to correct the way that I pronounce some difficult or advanced words.