The Routledge Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew

Reviews / Votes

Praise for the previous edition:

'...highly recommendable...' - Forum for Modern Language Studies

'This highly recommendable course consists of eight units made up of ninety lessons, an introduction to the alphabet, as well as a Hebrew-English dictionary which covers the vocabulary used, in addition to word lists at the end of the individual units. An eclectic methodology is used which, through the combination of grammar explanations and examples, with pieces of text, the introduction of vocabulary and related written and oral exercises, gradually teaches the structure of the language. The course enables the student to gain a good understanding of grammar and culture, while also developing written and verbal communication skills, both passive and active. The layout is clear and well-arranged and the text very readable. The material is accompanied by an equally well-organised website which supports the familiarisation with the alphabet and grammar through its audio-visual material, charts and links. The companion website also contains the answers to exercises in the textbook, which makes the course accessible to self-study too. Even though the course is primarily designed for classroom-based and fast-paced, first-year programmes, it can be used beneficially for less intensive courses or individual learning.' - Forum for Modern Language Studies, vol 46, no 1, January 2010

'The success of my Hebrew classes this year at Tufts University was significantly a factor of the excellent textbook, Modern Hebrew by Giore Etzion. The material is relevant to the students and keeps them involved and motivated. It also comes with a website. After doing the exercises in the book they must check their answers on the website so that they are responsible to check themselves and come to class totally prepared. All outstanding issues with the homework are resolved at the beginning of the class and they are quizzed every week. This keeps them on top of things and maximizes the learning situation.

The book is so well structured and the connections so seamless that the students feel they have covered much material relatively painlessly. What makes the book especially effective is that the dialogues cover material relevant to the students thereby maintaining their enthusiasm throughout. Indeed, the book is so good that most of it can be learned on its own. I used to have to combine material from different books, but your book and the website is so rich and so up to date visually, content-wise, besides being user-friendly, there is no need for supplementary material. The voices on the website provide the opportunity to hear other Israeli voices. Moreover, the voices are so well accented one feels the force of the readings which contributes to the students' ability to read well and with understanding. It also adds considerably to their interest in spoken Hebrew and listening comprehension. The dictionary structuring of the vocabulary units after each chapter is especially helpful because of its breakdown into the various grammatical units.This helps the student think clearly and become sensitive to grammar patterns. In sum, this is an excellent textbook for beginner's Hebrew and I recommend it without reservation. The students love learning from it and I love teaching from it.

As an aside, I want to emphasize that the author, Professor Etzion, was helpful and supportive every step of the way at the beginning. Once I got into the book it just flowed on its own.

Recommendations: If the class has no knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet, it would be helpful to have a supplementary booklet reviewing the dynamics of reading. All directions for exercises in the first two units should also be in English and they gradually wean the students away from the English and ooze them into the Hebrew.' - Hava Kimelman, Tufts University