Shalom and welcome to Hebrew! Hebrew is the "sleeping beauty" of Semitic languages. For more than a thousand years, the Hebrew language had been sleeping (according to linguists, it was only daydreaming). But then, one day in the nineteenth century (so goes the legend), it was kissed by the crazy visioner Eliezer Ben Yehuda, and woke up to life.

One of the Hebrew Program's unique features is its emphasis on Hebrew for the long run, Hebrew for the real world. You will not only learn Hebrew, but also master the learning techniques that will render your knowledge sustainable, allowing your relationship with Hebrew to persist for years to come. For vocabulary, for instance, we will be using video clips, paintings, and also dozens of music clips from the internet and other sources, thereby making it easy to practice the language at home or on the road in the exact same way as in the classroom.

Assessment in the Hebrew Program is based on an innovative principle we like to call "show what you know!" The idea is a simple one: in lieu of giving standard vocabulary quizzes or grammar tests, we ask that students demonstrate their knowledge by way of performing the same activities we conduct in class. In a typical vocabulary demonstration, for instance, you and a partner will demonstrate your familiarity with the vocabulary at hand, as well as its underlying grammar. When it is your turn to demonstrate your knowledge, your partner will ask leading questions and provide you with other helpful hints and tips (in Hebrew, of course), without giving away the answer, a la Pictionary.

Learning Hebrew is known to be addictive, but is also very rewarding! By learning Hebrew you will be joining a fast-growing, highly diverse speaker community, and have doors opened to contemporary culture in Israel and Palestine, as well as to the language of the bible. Already looking forward to learn Hebrew? me'tsu'yan! la'avoda!