Kayitz Kef/Hebrew at Camp

05/21/2026

Happy Shavuot from Kayitz Kef!

05/15/2026

The ideas in this week's parsha connect deeply to our work at Kayitz Kef.

They remind us that education is not only what is formally taught, and language is not only what is translated or memorized.

What matters most is what children experience through relationships, repeated moments, and a sense of belonging. When Hebrew becomes part of camp life, it can become part of a child’s story - something they carry with them beyond the summer.

Shabbat Shalom

שבת שלום

05/08/2026

Welcome to Parshat HaShavua from Kayitz Kef

There is something very powerful about the idea that silence is not the absence of feeling, but sometimes the deepest expression of it. Aaron’s silence after the loss of his sons reminds us that grief does not always need words.

After almost three years, and after countless conversations with friends and family in Israel, I keep thinking about how often there really are no words big enough for the pain, fear, exhaustion, and love people are carrying. Sometimes we honor that pain simply by standing still, remembering, listening, and making space for what cannot be explained.

Shabbat Shalom from Kayitz Kef

שבת שלום

05/01/2026

“Speak… and say” - אֱמֹר… וְאָמַרְתָּ — emor… ve’amarta — points to something deeper than repetition. It reminds us that Jewish life depends on what one generation chooses to pass to the next.�

Right now, that feels very real. Children are not only listening to our words; they are absorbing our posture. And if לְהַזְהִיר — lehazhir — “to warn/caution” also carries the echo of זֹהַר — zohar — “light/radiance,” then our task is not only to protect them. It is to help them see the light, strength, and meaning that are still worth inheriting.

04/24/2026

In this week’s parashah, we read the famous words: וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ. Love your "neighbor" as yourself.

Not just love your neighbor as an idea. Not just feel warmly toward another person. The Hebrew points us toward something more active: love that moves outward, love that becomes responsibility, kindness, generosity, and care.

That feels like a message we need all the time, and maybe especially now. Holiness is not only found in big moments. It is also found in how we treat the people next to us, what we choose to give, and how we show up for one another.

Shabbat Shalom from Kayitz Kef
שבת שלום

04/21/2026

Yom Ha’atzmaut is never only about celebration. It is about resilience, rebuilding, and the ongoing work of sustaining life in Israel. Independence is not just a moment in history. It is something lived and renewed every day with hope, courage, and responsibility.

Even the word Atzmaut (עצמאות) tells part of that story. Built from the root ע-צ-מ, it points to selfhood, essence, and standing in one’s own right. At Kayitz Kef, that is part of why Hebrew matters so much to us. It is a language that holds both the story of the Jewish people and the living reality of Israel today, connecting young people to Israel, to Israelis, and to Jewish life in ways that are living and real.

יום העצמאות שמח.

Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut. May we celebrate Israel today, carry it with us always, and keep its spirit alive each summer at camp.

04/20/2026

In Jewish life, memory is not meant to stay distant. At Passover, we are asked to see ourselves as if we personally left Egypt. On days like these, that idea feels especially powerful. We do not only remember from afar. We carry memory with us.

The Hebrew root ז־כ־ר holds more than remembrance. It also gives us the language of mention, reminder, and commemoration. Memory in Hebrew is not passive. It asks something of us.

As we move from the Shoah to Yom HaZikaron and then to Yom Ha’atzmaut, I keep thinking about how Hebrew carries both grief and renewal. It connects us to those we lost, to one another, and to the life we are still responsible to build.

04/17/2026

Welcome to Kayitz Kef's take on Parashat Hashavua.

At first glance, we read about leprosy in this week’s parashah and assume it has nothing to do with our lives. But pretty quickly it becomes clear that it has everything to do with how we see other people, how we speak about them, and the kind of damage words can do.

04/10/2026

As Passover comes to an end, a holiday centered on telling our story, this parashah reminds us that not everything can be expressed in words. The Hebrew language itself holds both speech and silence—what we say and what we feel but cannot say.

Together, they teach us a balance: knowing when to speak, and when silence itself carries the deepest meaning.

Shabbat Shalom!שבת שלום !

03/30/2026

Although I have not worked with Orit Segal in many years, I believe she had a real influence on my decision to go into Hebrew education as a career. She was probably the first Hebrew teacher I ever hired, at Merkaz Hamagshimim, and even though our time working together was not long, I always remembered her professionalism, her creativity, and the seriousness she brought to her work. She was also a kind and warm colleague at YJ Israel.

May her memory be a blessing, and may the many students she taught continue to speak Hebrew for years to come.

It is with profound sorrow and heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved colleague, teacher, and friend, Orit Segal, z"l (1970–2026). After a courageous battle with cancer, our community has lost an angel and a true source of light.

Orit’s professional legacy with Young Judaea Israel spanned nearly three decades, during which she was the source of magic and inspiration behind one of our core missions: teaching Hebrew. She joined YJI in 1999 as a dedicated member of our Hebrew Studies faculty. In 2014, she was appointed Director of Ulpan, a leadership role she held until 2026.

As a professional, Orit was profoundly modest, yet her impact on our organization was immense. Under her direction, the Hebrew department was completely transformed. She championed teaching Hebrew not just as an academic subject, but as a living, breathing language. She created an Ulpan curriculum that was cutting-edge, engaging, fun, and deeply meaningful. Relentlessly driven to help every single student succeed, she extended her passion to personalized classes for advanced learners and proudly taught Arabic to those eager to expand their horizons. Beyond the classroom, she also served as the brilliant architect of our Yom Hazikaron program for many years, guiding our participants through moments of national remembrance with immense sensitivity and grace.

Thousands of Young Judaea participants have been touched by her leadership, her warmth, and the program she so masterfully built. The Hebrew program of Young Judaea is Orit’s creation, and her professional contributions are forever woven into the very fabric of our organization.

We extend our deepest condolences to her husband, Asaf, and her children, Maayan, Noam, and Avigail.

The funeral will take place on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 (13th of Nisan) at 12:00 PM at the Ma'ale HaHamisha Cemetery.

The family will sit Shiva at Yoram Ronen St 20, Apartment 1, Jerusalem until Monday between the hours of 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM (a Mamad is available on site).

יהי זכרה ברוך
May her memory be a blessing

03/30/2026

Did you know that Kayitz Kef is part of a larger project? Check out the Brandeis Hebrew Consortium's newsletter - https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Hebrew-Consortium-Spring-2026-Newsletter-.html?soid=1141694010118&aid=fjnYX6lesos and check out our update as well - https://www.brandeis.edu/hebrew-consortium/kayitz-kef-updated/news_and_updates.html

“Even families whose campers weren’t fluent expressed surprise at how much Hebrew their kids picked up naturally through play.”