Hebrew Studies
Studying Hebrew will give you access to one of history's most influential languages, with its related literature and cultural expressions—dating from 3,000 years ago and extending to current Middle East affairs.
Hebrew is the language of most of the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Late Antique and medieval Jewish literature. It remains the most important language of Jewish expression as well as the main official language of modern Israel.
Knowing Hebrew enables you to read the Torah, Psalms, and Prophets, to appreciate gems of medieval Jewish and modern Hebrew literature, as well as to communicate with Israelis in the revived tongue of Modern Hebrew, which is used in Israel for all aspects of life, artistic, scholarly, and mundane. And Hebrew gives you access not only to ancient and modern Israel, but to the ancient and continuing diaspora experience of Jews and Judaism.
At Cambridge you will benefit from learning both Classical and Modern Hebrew:
- Classical Hebrew gives you not only the grammatical basis on which Modern Hebrew rests, but familiarises you with themes and motifs that recur throughout Hebrew and Jewish art and literature.
- Modern Hebrew allows you to communicate with Israelis and to access modern Israeli scholarship and also enables internalisation of Classical Hebrew vocabulary and grammar.
- Other Semitic languages: Hebrew is an excellent entry point for the study of other Semitic languages offered at Cambridge and elsewhere, including Arabic, Syriac, Akkadian, and Ugaritic.
Middle Eastern Studies staff conduct research in the areas of anthropology, history, manuscript studies, linguistics, cultural history, literature, media and popular culture. Between us, we teach and research the Middle East from ancient times right the way through to the present day.
Required subjects for entry
We welcome students from a wide range of backgrounds. No previous knowledge of Hebrew is required to study with us.
Our course is not suitable for native speakers of Hebrew.
An overview of our course
Our course (‘Tripos’) is unique for combining intensive and fast-paced study of the Hebrew language with the chance to specialise in specific areas of the Middle East according to your own interests. Lectures and seminars are combined with personalised supervisions to create a catered form of education that empowers each of you as active learners while providing caring support and thoughtful guidance.
First year (Part IA): Gaining solid grounding
The focus in the first year is on language learning. If taking single subject Hebrew, you will devote over half of your time to the study of all aspects of the language and by the third term you will be able to read real-world texts. You will also take 2 content papers on the history and culture of the Middle East. If you combine Hebrew with Arabic, Persian, or a European language, you will take one history/culture paper.
Second year (Part IB): Going deeper and broader
Language classes in the second year take you from intermediate to early-advanced Hebrew. You also have the opportunity to take various courses in pre-modern and modern Hebrew literature and a variety of other disciplines, including pre-modern and modern history, anthropology, film and linguistics.
If you combine Hebrew with Arabic or Persian, you will take papers in that language. You may also commence Hindi. If you combine Hebrew with a Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics (MMLL) language, you will select your papers from both faculties. You will also identify a fourth-year undergraduate dissertation project with your instructors’ help.
Third year: Year abroad
We want you to have the chance to pursue your own interests so we offer a range of options in Israel.
We keep an eye on government travel advice and advise students how to amend their plans if that advice changes.
Most students attend language courses at one of the major Israeli universities (Tel Aviv, Haifa or Beer Sheva) or take private language courses (ulpanim, sing. ulpan). Some students spend all or part of their Year Abroad volunteering or working as interns for local charities or organisations.
You develop your Year Abroad plan in your second year assisted by the Year Abroad Coordinator..
How long
- If you are combining Hebrew and Arabic, you divide your 8 months between Israel (minimum 3 months) and an Arabic-speaking country (minimum 4 months).
- If you are combining Hebrew and Persian you divide your 8 months between Israel (minimum 3 months) and a destination for Persian language learning (minimum 3 months). Travel to Iran is not currently permitted for UK nationals, therefore students study Persian at the University of Yerevan in Armenia.
- If you are combining Hebrew with a language offered by the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, you spent the full 8 months in Israel. However, many students also studying a European language use the time before or after their Hebrew Year Abroad to travel to a country where their European language is spoken.
Fourth year (Part II): Generating knowledge
Fourth year advanced Hebrew language classes prepare you for professional Hebrew-speaking environments and you will read, discuss and analyse advanced texts of many kinds. You will also choose from a selection of advanced and specialised courses based on your instructors’ research, covering literature, history, linguistics, and social science.
If you continue to combine Hebrew with Arabic or Persian, you will take advanced papers in that language. If you continue to combine Hebrew with an MMLL language you will select your papers from both faculties. You will also write your dissertation based on your own independent research and make an original contribution to Middle Eastern studies.
Beyond your time at Cambridge
We keep regular contact with our alumni who have established rewarding careers in a wide range of professions around the world. These include teaching, translating, interpreting, banking, academia, publicity, journalism, diplomacy, business, popular culture and many, many more.