Modern Hebrew

1. The course is taught on two levels:

1. Hebrew Alef:
2. This course is an intensive Elementary Modern Hebrew program designed for beginners, using the first chapters of the textbook First and Foremost. Over 100 academic hours, participants will develop basic functional literacy and conversational skills. The course follows a communicative approach, focusing on the four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. By the end of the course, participants will have built a foundation of several hundred high-frequency words and essential grammatical structures. Through dialogues, texts, and exercises, participants will practice real-world situations, including introducing themselves, describing their homes, navigating a market, discussing their daily schedules, and expressing basic needs and feelings.

1. Hebrew Bet:

1. This course develops participants’ Hebrew proficiency at an intermediate level, with a focus on communication in both spoken and written language. Instruction includes speaking exercises, writing, grammar, reading, listening comprehension, and participant presentations. Oral proficiency is practiced through dialogues, conversations, and presentations. Writing skills are developed through written assignments, summaries, and translations. Grammar instruction deepens knowledge of key structures, with particular emphasis on verbs, word formation, and syntax. The course includes reading advanced-level texts as well as working with audio materials such as news and songs, strengthening both reading and listening comprehension.

About the teachers

Frida Schatz is Paideia’s Hebrew lecturer. She holds a BA and MA in Hebrew and French language and literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She also studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. After studies Frida held positions as Hebrew lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, at Universities in Paris, Frankfurt, and Copenhagen. She also worked for JDC for Russian Jews in Italy. After moving to Sweden, she taught Hebrew as a lecturer at the University of Lund and the University of Stockholm and worked as a translator between Swedish and Hebrew.

Michael Kisliuk is a certified Hebrew as a foreign language teacher with an academic background in Hebrew Language (MA) and Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (BA) from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has extensive experience teaching Hebrew to adults in all levels, with a strong focus on building a solid foundation for real-life communication. His teaching combines clear structure with a communicative, learner-centered approach, emphasizing confidence in speaking from an early stage.