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Gratz College
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Hebrew and Yiddish

Gratz College has long been a leader in creative and innovative language instruction, teaching Hebrew and Yiddish to generations of students who want to connect to their Jewish heritage. Gratz specializes in languages that have been central to Jewish culture. By studying Modern Hebrew students are able to communicate with family, friends, and colleagues in Israel while our program in biblical Hebrew enables them to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible.

Most recently, Gratz opened a cutting edge online Yiddish program which allows students to learn the language of their ancestors or prepare to encounter historical texts in their original language.

Gratz College language courses are 3 credits each and generally meet online for 3 hours per week for 15 weeks. 

From its founding, Gratz College been a leader in the world of Hebrew language education in North America, Today, Gratz College offers multiple options for Hebrew and Yiddish language classes for a wide range of language learners.

“Taking Hebrew at Gratz College has set me up for a lifetime of successful Hebrew language use and learning! My professors were engaging, supportive, and responsive to student needs. Todah Rabah, Gratz!” 
– Liza Fishman, M.Ed., Class of 2020

Finance your Education  Admissions Requirements

”The Hebrew and Yiddish program at Gratz took my Hebrew to a whole new level. The professors are highly qualified and take the time to make sure you understand how the language works. I'm very honored to have studied Hebrew at Gratz College!”— Kevin Fillingim, B.A. in Jewish Professional Studies, Class of 2020


Academics

 

Gratz language courses are designed for students at a wide range of levels.  There is a preparatory course (Mekhinah) for students who have no previous experience learning how to read Hebrew phonetically.  We currently offer four levels of Modern Hebrew, three levels of Biblical Hebrew and two levels of Yiddish, with plans to expand.

Language courses generally follow a 15-week semester.  Modern languages meet twice per week for an hour and a half via Zoom, allowing students to actively engage with each other and their teachers as they gain command of a new idiom.  Biblical Hebrew courses meet live once a week.

A four-course certificate in Hebrew Language Instruction is also offered.

Students taking Hebrew as part of their degrees who have prior experience learning Hebrew may take our placement exam in order to complete 1 – 3 levels of Hebrew.

Gratz language courses are open to students from other colleges who wish to complete their language requirements with Hebrew or Yiddish, but whose home institutions do not offer these options.

See our Hebrew Language Requirements for select programs here. 

 

View Course Offerings non-matric registration form

Meet the Program Director

Dina Maiben, Ed.D. has served as the Program Director of Hebrew and Yiddish since 2015. Nationally recognized for her work in the area of Hebrew reading instruction, her primer, Alef Bet Quest, won the 2010 Distinguished Achievement from the Association of Educational Publishers, the only Hebrew textbook to be so honored.


Meet Our Faculty

The language courses at Gratz are guided by our outstanding faculty, many of whom are experts in their fields. Each shares a passion for both the languages and culture of the Jewish people and inspires their students to achieve cultural literacy as well as linguistic proficiency.

By virtue of meeting live, language students and faculty have the opportunity to create deep and lasting connections, and our students consistently rate our language teachers as deeply caring and attentive to student needs.

Hebrew Faculty

Three men sitting around a table talking