The Hebrew Club

What my Iranian student taught me about freedom while I was hiding in a shelter

I think I need to resign from International Women’s Day.
Apparently, my version of “female empowerment” includes arguing with a three-year-old in a bomb shelter about why we cannot bring the entire box of Duplo inside.

While my social feed was full of beautiful quotes about strong women, I was busy being the slightly unhinged mother negotiating snack logistics under sirens.

And somehow, in that strange moment sitting on the floor between toys, phone alerts, and a toddler who had very strong opinions about crackers, I thought about a student I once had.

Five years ago.
I barely remember her face.

But I will never forget her stories.
She was around sixty, and when she spoke about Tehran in 1976, her whole expression changed.

She described a city that doesn’t exist in today’s headlines.
Friends from different backgrounds going to parties together.
Weekends at concerts.
Ski trips in the mountains.
A mother who loved fashion.
A physics teacher who made her fall in love with science.

For her, the future once felt wide open.

Then the revolution came.

Her parents understood something was closing in.
So they did the unthinkable: they sent their teenage daughter alone to the United States.

Not for opportunity.

For freedom.

They wanted her to be able to read what she wanted.
Wear what she wanted.
Become who she wanted.

And as I sat there in my Tel Aviv shelter, something uncomfortable hit me.

I have a ten-minute warning.
I have concrete walls.
I have the Iron Dome.

I even have the luxury of being irritated by my child’s tantrum.

Women in Iran today don’t have any of that.

No Red Alert app.
No shelters.
No system designed to protect them.

Just a regime that polices their bodies, their voices, their existence and a war they never chose.

And suddenly the word freedom felt… different.

Less like a hashtag.

More like oxygen.

I don’t know what happened to that student’s family.
I hope they managed to leave.
I hope they are safe somewhere.

And I hope deeply that one day the women of Iran will again have something their parents once believed was possible:

a future that belongs to them.

I’ve been thinking about this all day. Do you ever stop and think about the freedoms you take for granted?

Resilience isn’t a buzzword. It’s a 4-flight sprint to a bomb shelter.

What you see in this photo is the "office" I’ve occupied more than I’d like lately. What you don’t see is the journey that led to this moment.
Since the start of the war, my world and my business-has been turned upside down. Lessons were interrupted, the routine was shattered, and my first instinct as a mother was simple: to run. In an attempt to find safety and maintain some "business continuity," I took my family to the desert (Ein Yahav, nice place by the way). I was searching for a quiet corner where I could finally teach my students without the sound of sirens.
The irony? You can't outrun the reality of war. Instead of finding my voice in the quiet, I lost it. A severe throat infection left me completely silent. I couldn’t teach, I couldn’t lead, and for a moment, the silence felt heavier than the explosions.
We returned home to Tel Aviv because, in times like these, there is no place safer than being together. My voice has finally returned, but the "quiet" has not. Last night alone, we ran to the bomb shelter five times. Carrying my son down four flights of stairs in the middle of the night is a reality no business school prepares you for.
I’m returning to my classes this week with a bit less sleep, but a much deeper connection to the language I teach. When we study the Hebrew word Hosen (Resilience), my students won't just learn the grammar—they’ll understand the heartbeat behind it.

To my students: I want to sincerely apologize for the silence and the missed classes lately. Thank you for your patience and for sticking with me.

And a small "bonus": If you message me to check in, I’ll send you a curated list of Hebrew curses- the kind you only learn after a night of zero sleep and five sirens. It’s probably the most authentic Hebrew you’ll ever acquire.
I’m back, and I’m ready to speak.

Dear students,
I want to share this song with you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nflbvTepb4k&list=RDnflbvTepb4k&start_radio=1

This song is in high-level Hebrew, which might not be accessible to all of you, but some parts may be understandable, and English subtitles are available.

If any of you are interested in learning about the new words from the song and receiving a PowerPoint presentation with all the explanations, feel free to message me privately.

It is an incredibly emotional song, sung by Sagie Dekel Hen, who was kidnapped to Gaza on October 7th and forcibly separated from his wife and daughters. During his 498 days in captivity, his youngest daughter was born. Every day, he sang this song in his heart, imagining the moment he would return and sing with his loved ones again.

In this challenging time, the song and the person who sang it filled me with hope.

קרן שמש Keren Shemesh - הפרויקט של תמרי - The Tamari Project שגיא בשיר ראשון אחרי שחזר אלינו אחרי 498 ימים. כמה התגעגענו…מילים: בניה ברבי ואבי אוחיוןלחן: בניה ברבי ואבי אוחיוןה-זמר: שגיא דקל חן!!זמרות: מירה עזריאל, נטל...

ביולי 2020, כשהקורונה התחילה להשתלט על הכל, מצאתי את עצמי מלמדת בפעם הראשונה בזום. אני זוכרת את הרגע שבו קיבלתי את ההודעה שהשיעורים באולפן גורדון בתל אביב יעברו למתכונת אונליין – לא האמנתי שזה קורה! צבטתי את עצמי כדי לבדוק אם אני לא חולמת. איך אפשר להפסיק את הלימודים באולפן, שהוא הבית והקהילה עבור תלמידים רבים, במיוחד עבור העולים החדשים שחלקם ללא משפחה?

בהתחלה, כמו כל מורה אחר, הייתי סקפטית לגבי השינויים הדרמטיים. מעבר לארגון כל מערכי השיעור במחשב (בלי שכר נוסף, כמובן) – זה גרם לי לכתוב מערכי שיעור שלמים עם קללות בעברית מרוב תסכול.

אבל כשפגשתי שוב את תלמידי דרך המסך, כל הרגשות השליליים נעלמו. פתאום יכולתי להבחין לעומק בהבעות הפנים שלהם, והשיעורים הפכו להרבה יותר מהנים. והכי כיף – ללבוש נעלי בית בזמן העבודה!

מאז אני מאוד אוהבת לפגוש את תלמידי לקפה, אך שמחה גם להמשיך ללמד בזום ולראות את ההתקדמות שלהם בצורה החדשה הזו.

Hello everyone! 😊

I’m Roni, a Hebrew teacher with extensive experience teaching the language to new immigrants and people from all around the world. I’ve created this page to share useful information, learning tips, and to build a supportive and educational community.

On this page, you'll find updates about classes, special workshops, educational content, and special offers. I’m here to help you progress and enjoy learning Hebrew.

Feel free to follow, ask questions, and be part of this journey. Welcome aboard!

שלום לכולם! 😊

אני רוני, מורה לעברית עם ניסיון רב בלימוד השפה לעולים חדשים ואנשים מכל רחבי העולם. החלטתי לפתוח את הדף הזה כדי לשתף מידע שימושי, טיפים ללימוד עברית, וליצור קהילה תומכת ומלמדת.

בעמוד הזה תוכלו למצוא עדכונים על שיעורים, סדנאות מיוחדות, תכנים חינוכיים ומבצעים. אני כאן כדי לעזור לכם להתקדם וליהנות מהלימוד.

מוזמנים לעקוב, לשאול שאלות ולהיות חלק מהמסע שלי. ברוכים הבאים!