English as she is spoke for Yiddish-only speakers in Orthodox community
06/07/2005
A London business-training organisation has launched classes to teach English to members of London’s Charedi community.
The Calculu Business and Training Centre is the first commercial trainer to target the strictly-Orthodox community. Director Menasche Scharf —who moved to London from Antwerp 18 years ago without speaking English — said they took the decision to move into language skills because some members of the Char-edi community were from Belgium and Israel and had not studied English. Others were brought up in England, but speaking only Yiddish.
Calculu — a combination of calcalah, Hebrew for sustenance and calculus, Latin for the small stones used in reckoning — is running twice-weekly classes at Jewish Care’s Brenner Community Centre in Stam-ford Hill. So far, classes have been for men only but there are plans to establish women’s classes and to launch private lessons.
Mr Scharf told CC: “The long-term aim is to enable people to find jobs or set up businesses and work outside the community.”
