Language Courses
Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School (RIS) offers you a variety of courses in Modern Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical Hebrew and other languages. You’ll engage in intensive language study in the classroom, while enjoying daily opportunities to put your newly acquired language skills to practice amidst the diverse human mosaic of Jerusalem. Many courses are available both as year-long and intensive summer/winter program opportunities.
We offer modern Hebrew at six levels, ranging from elementary (Aleph) to upper-advanced (Vav), ensuring the perfect fit for your Hebrew language proficiency. Our advanced teaching methods are designed to help you excel in reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension, in an interactive classroom setting and through an engaging and dynamic curriculum. You’ll be immersed in Hebrew from the very first lesson, which will help you internalize the language quickly and improve its practical usage.
Nearly 40% of Jerusalem’s inhabitants are native speakers of Arabic, making the city an excellent choice for students seeking an immersive Arabic language experience. At RIS, you can choose between courses in Fusha - Literary and Modern Arabic used in classical texts, media, and formal speech - and Amia - the Palestinian spoken dialect used to converse in daily life. Beginner, intermediate and advanced levels are offered year-round.
If you’d like to study religious texts in Judaism and Christianity in their original form, we offer intensive courses in Biblical Hebrew, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. As a student of Biblical Hebrew, you’ll have the opportunity to study a wide range of Biblical texts, including poetry and prophetic texts, among others.
Finally, Hebrew University offers instruction in over 30 additional languages, among them ancient languages such as Akkadian and Aramaic, Middle Eastern languages such as Turkish and Persian, and many more including Mandarin, Korean, Hindi, Spanish.