What is an Ulpan?
The word “Ulpan” actually means a studio or a teaching institution that teaches Hebrew. After Israel came into being in 1948, the need for a school that would teach Hebrew became great. The first ulpan came into being in 1949 in Jerusalem.
The reason for the creation of the ulpan was to teach Hebrew to the many refugees entering Israel from all over the world. Since there were many Jews in different parts of the world coming into Israel at that time, it was decided that learning Hebrew would provide them with a sense of belonging or identity. It would unite the many Jews of different nationalities within Israel.
The Ulpan also teaches the history, culture, and geography of Israel and has become a very important tool for people entering Israel. Students in an ulpan are taught Hebrew language skills such as reading, writing and speaking.
What are the Different Types of Ulpan?
There are two main types of ulpan in Israel; the city ulpan and the kibbutz ulpan.
Kibbutz refers to a community center or a group home. An Ulpan kibbutz is for duration of five months. Their students are expected to arrive four days in advance of the course. This is so that they can prepare for the start of their course. They also need to stay another four days after their course or program ends. Thus the entire program is for 155 days in total. The program is designed that a student works for half a day and studies during the other half. Students are provided room and board although there may be more than one student to a room.
The city Ulpan, on the other hand, is an ulpan wherein the program begins early in the morning and ends around mid-afternoon.
There are summer Ulpan programs that have two four-week sessions that are independent of each other. These two sessions cover all proficiency levels in their program structure. Students may register for only one session, or both sessions at the same time. The programs begin with aptitude tests that help determine the proficiency level of the student.
For these summer programs, classes start from Sunday until Thursday. Each class is of 5 hours per day and they may include presentations by the students, audio-video materials, and a language laboratory.
Any ulpan program involves total-immersion in the Hebrew language. These programs are designed to teach as much Hebrew as possible in a short span of time. No language aside from Hebrew is spoken in an ulpan at all times. It would be advisable to learn some Hebrew before you join an ulpan program.
Learning Hebrew in an ulpan can be a very enriching experience as you are with other people who also want to learn everything they can about Israel, including its Hebrew language. Completing an ulpan program will give you the confidence that you truly have learned how to communicate, oral or written, in Hebrew and you will bask in a novel, refreshing experience.
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