Miriam Halachmi

Twenty nine years ago I was asked by Professor Daniel Patte, the Chair of Religious Studies at the time, to come and help out teaching Hebrew for a year. It has been a very long year! Until last July my main job was running the education program for the Conservative synagogue in town. That job enabled me to teach different age groups (8 year olds through 80 years old).

 I love teaching! I love the interaction with the students and their input and interpretations of the material presented. My favorite subjects have been Hebrew and Hebrew Bible. I have been teaching Bible to a group of women from different denominations, different age groups and different backgrounds for the last 14 years. A second group has just formed and I am looking forward to teaching and interacting with them.

 My goal for my students at Vanderbilt University is that they learn Israeli Hebrew and fall in love with the language and its culture. I try to keep current with Israeli literature. Nothing gives me a greater pleasure than a good poem, a good book or a new insight into an ancient text. I hope it can be contagious.