Festival of Spoken Ivrit inspires thousands of young Jewish students
Celebration of Hebrew language returns for 7th consecutive year
For the seventh consecutive year, The Festival of Spoken Ivrit provided more than 5,000 nursery, primary, and secondary school pupils across London, Cambridge and Richmond, the experience of Ivrit as an interactive spoken language.
With 82 performances over two weeks, the Festival was launched by Israeli House at JW3, with a showcase of four productions themed around heroes and heroines.
The highly respected Israel Hour Theatre (Teatron Hashaa HaIsraeli) presented a range of plays, including a powerful adult production for Holocaust Memorial Day, the moving story of Avraham Oerbach, a child Holocaust survivor, titled ‘Sentenced for Life’, particularly poignant, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.
The schools’ festival opened at Hasmonean Boys’ Middle School in Belsize Park, with special guest Lord Polak, followed by a performance of ‘Champion of Israel’, detailing Oren Smadja’s journey to winning an Olympic gold medal.
Younger audiences enjoyed ‘The Lion and The Mouse’ and ‘Peter Pan-Tom’s Superhero’ a twist on Peter Pan’s tale. An Ivrit teacher at the school said: “Peter Pan was a tremendous success. Both children and teachers enjoyed every moment. I am proud to be Israeli and to be part of this beautiful cultural endeavour.”
A Sinai pupil added: “I loved the show. I understood the Hebrew and it felt magical. I enjoyed it all.”
Matan Bar Noy, the head of the World Zionist Organisation’s delegation to Europe said: “This year, we again had the privilege of partnering and strengthening the community at the Festival of Spoken Ivrit. Many thanks to the great actors of the Hashaha Theatre, Tzemach Productions, and everyone who contributed to this significant festival. After such a successful year, there’s a great challenge ahead for next year’s production.”
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