Introductory Modern Hebrew I In this course students will become acquainted with the basic grammatical and formal concepts necessary for the comprehension of the Modern Hebrew language. We will focus on the fundamentals of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with a particular emphasis placed on the acquisition of conversational ability. We will also make use of audiovisual, situational, and cultural exercises, and give attention to the elements of Classical form and style that provided a foundation for Modern Hebrew, which was revived as a vernacular in the late 19th century. No previous knowledge of Hebrew is required. 6 hrs.

Introductory Modern Hebrew II This course is an intensive continuation of Modern Hebrew 0101. Students will expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, will increase their proficiency in oral communication, and will study selections of both audio and visual media related to modern-day Israel.

Introductory Modern Hebrew III This course is a continuation of Modern Hebrew 0102 which will be offered during winter term. Students will further develop their skills in written and oral communication, and will expand their knowledge of the cultures of modern Israel through both audio and visual media.

Intermediate Modern Hebrew I This course is a continuation of HEBM 0103.  By engaging with topics about Israeli society and culture and by using authentic materials and different media, students will strengthen their intermediate level of communicative competence – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – and gain a deeper understanding of Israeli popular culture and politics. Topics will vary depending on students’ interest.

Intermediate Modern Hebrew II This is the fifth in the sequence of Modern Hebrew courses that focus on the acquisition of reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. This course will further increase the students' fluency in spoken Hebrew, as well as their facility in reading authentic texts dealing with both secular and religious Jewish cultures, the literature of modern-day Israel, Israeli history, and current events. By the end of the semester, students should attain the level of educated, non-native speakers of Modern Hebrew, in terms of knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, composition, and communicative competence.

Zionism and the "Roads Not Taken" (1880-1948) An Arab-Jewish binational state in Palestine was only one of the possible paths that the Zionist movement considered before taking the road that led to Israel’s 1948 establishment. Using various primary and secondary sources, we will critically engage with alternatives to the nation-state within the Zionist movement, unfolding key debates in its history. In the introductory units, we will position Zionism alongside other forms of Jewish nationalism, such as Simon Dubnow’s Diaspora Nationalism. We will then zoom in on post-World War I Zionism, discussing Imperial, anti-Imperial, pan-Asian, and binationalist-federalist alternatives to the Jewish nation-state program. In the concluding units, we will examine the processes by which these possibilities became marginalized, and the vision of a Jewish nation-state prevailed.

Contemporary Israel: The Politics of Ethnic Difference The course explores the politics of ethnic difference in Israel through a combined historical-sociological perspective, using diverse textual and visual materials. After tracing the origins of the ethnic categories of “Ashkenazi” (Western) and Mizrachi (Middle Eastern/North African) Jews, we examine the history of immigration to Israel in the 1950s, considering how ethnicity came to define class and geography. In subsequent units, we will deal with Mizrachi protest movements such as the Israeli 1970s “Black Panthers” and the more recent trend of Mizrachi intellectuals to reclaim the “Arab-Jew” identity, and in comparison, the Mizrachi traditional support of hawkish positions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the concluding units, we will utilize comparative tools to conceptualize this internal Jewish dynamic.

The Origins of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict When did the Jewish-Arab conflict begin? This survey course considers several different moments of its birth, such as the 1880s first wave of Zionist immigrants to Palestine, the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1948 and 1967 war and the 1964 establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other landmark moments. Based on secondary literature and primary textual and visual materials, we will engage with these competing periodizations and analyze various Israeli and Palestinian historical narratives they embody, considering broader themes such as the relations between the historian’s identity and the production of historical narratives, and the dynamic between facts, narratives and ideologies.

Intercultural Jerusalem (1850-Present) The course approaches the history of modern Jerusalem through the lens of intercultural encounters. Based on primary historical sources and secondary literature, we will examine how the relations between Muslims, Christians, and Jews transformed as the city changed hands between the Ottomans, British, Jordanians, and Israelis. The introductory units will discuss the making of multi-cultural Jerusalem in the late Ottoman period and how, under British rule (1917-1948), its cosmopolitanism was abated by nationalism. We will then discuss its partition following the 1948 War and the emergence of “West Jerusalem” and “East Jerusalem.” Proceeding past 1967, we will examine if and to what extent Jerusalem became an integrated, united city under Israel sovereignty before concluding with a discussion of contemporary trends.

Israeli Society Through Films In this course we will examine Israeli culture, society, and history through Israeli cinema. We will view and discuss fiction films and documentaries that address, present and reflect such themes as national and personal aspects of life in Israel, the centrality of war and the ongoing conflict, the lives of Palestinians, experiences of Holocaust survivors, the changing status of the kibbutz, ethnic minorities, gender relations, LGBT issues, and varied religious communities. By analyzing films, we will trace and explore core values, shared beliefs, diverse ideologies, unique points of view, social processes, and social relations in past and present-day Israel.

Adi Livny

Faisal Alasiri

Michal Strier

Zohar Gazit

Read 14 reviews for Hebrew (Modern) courses at Middlebury College. Find the best Hebrew (Modern) professors and courses.  Discover your new major today!

This class was really valuable and very well conducted. The class and professor were both really engaged, and there were a lot of discussions that highlighted the complexity and frustration surrounding the conflict. Would recommend!

Professor Livny is a wonderful professor who expects students to be on top of work but is also very willing to help students do better if they feel they are struggling. This course covered very interesting subject material in a fairly low stakes environment.

Contemporary Israel is a super interesting class. Most of the classes taught at Middlebury about Israel or the Middle East are about the Israel Palestine conflict. This class gives you a good insight into inter-Israel relations.