Acclaimed local author, translator and editor Jonathan Orr-Stav will offer a free lecture on Arabic Hebrew: How Modern Israelis Really Speak on Sunday, Dec. 6th from 11 AM to 12:15 PM on Zoom. Orr-Stav, a compelling speaker who blends humour with his extensive knowledge of the Hebrew language will discuss the history—and likely future—of Arabic among Hebrew speakers in Israel. Listeners, he promises, will learn everything they want to know about modern spoken Hebrew (but won’t get from Hebrew textbooks), about the Thirteen Tribes of modern Israel, and why Israelis hardly ever greet each other by saying, “Shalom!”
The son and grandson of noted Israeli translators and editors, Orr-Stav maintains the family tradition. He is the author of Aleph Through the Looking Glass (Learn to Write the Hebrew Script) (Yale University Press), lauded for making the Hebrew script more accessible to non-Hebrew speakers. The author of a best-selling series of books on computer-aided-design, and a former technical writer in the Israeli high-tech sector, Orr-Stav has an abiding passion for facilitating clear and compelling communication of ideas in writing, for the history of the Hebrew script, and for computer applications in Hebrew. Raised in Israel, London, and New York, he has lived with his family in Victoria since 2002.
Kolot Mayim Reform Temple is offering a six-part series of speakers on the theme of Building Bridges: Language, song and story. All talks will be held by Zoom from 11:00 AM -12:15 PM on the first Sunday of each month from November to May (excluding April). Kolot Mayim has been active for 20 years and this is the third year offering this speaker series.
More information and registration may be found at the Kolot Mayim website or by clicking here.