Strengthening Hebrew reading across Australia

Over 110 Jewish educators from 10 schools across Victoria and New South Wales recently took part in a professional development program with professor Scott Goldberg, focused on the science of Hebrew reading.

Facilitated by the Jewish Educators Network of Australia (JENA), the visit brought together Hebrew and Jewish studies educators to explore how research-based approaches to reading can strengthen Hebrew literacy, classroom practice and student access to Jewish learning.

Goldberg’s sessions offered educators a clear introduction to the science of how students acquire reading skills in Hebrew. Drawing on current research, he unpacked the cognitive processes involved in reading and connected these insights to the specific challenges and opportunities of teaching Hebrew.

The visit began in Melbourne, where Goldberg worked with educators across several school settings before continuing to Sydney for further school-based sessions and communal professional learning. Across both cities, the program created space for teachers to reflect on their existing approaches, build a shared professional language, and consider how evidence-based instruction can support students at different stages of their Hebrew reading journey.

A key focus of the professional development was moving Hebrew reading instruction from intuition or inherited practice toward a more research-informed and systematic approach.