Hebrew Preparatory Program

A partnership between the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program and select yeshivot in Israel, the Hebrew College Preparatory Program ensures that students gain the enhanced Hebrew literacy skills needed to read and understand Jewish texts (including Chumash, biblical narrative, Bible commentaries including Rashi, and Hebrew Tefilla) during their studies in Israel. These literacy skills are essential for success in Yeshiva College's required courses in Intermediate Hebrew and in Bible, but more important, students need these skills in order to access the vast wealth of Torah scholarship they will encounter throughout their lives.

Participating yeshivot identify students who would benefit from the program by administering a skills assessment based on Yeshiva College's Hebrew Placement test early in the Israel year. The schools then offer an Ulpan Torani (a Chumash, Siddur or Mishna class that uses an inductive method to teach Hebrew) at least three times a week for at least 45 minutes to these students. Yeshiva College provides curricular materials to participating schools and pedagogic support throughout the school year.

If the skills assessment reveals that fewer than 10% of students in a yeshiva would benefit from an Ulpan Torani, the school may teach this material to relevant students through chavrusas rather than a formal class.

The skills assessment is offered again to students in January and again in May. Students participating in Ulpanim Toraniyim usually see increasing rates of success in these assessments. More important, students who participate in this type of class tend to feel a sense of personal accomplishment and an increased connection to Torah.

Yeshivot who are voluntarily participating in the Yeshiva College Hebrew Preparatory Program include:

• Lev HaTorah
• Netiv Aryeh
• Torat Shraga
• Yesodei HaTorah

We expect additional yeshivot to join this program in the near future.

Prospective Yeshiva University undergraduate men who would like to assess their own Hebrew skill level can print out and complete the Hebrew Skills Test (PDF), scan it and send it to saster@yu.edu.