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Department Head:
Tamara M. Green
Division Head:
Rivka
Friedman
Department Secretary:
Millie Arias
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WELCOME
TO THE DIVISION OF HEBREW AND HEBRAIC STUDIES
Mission, Goals and
Objectives
The study of the Hebrew Language unlocks
linguistic and literary treasures unique in the annals of world culture.
The Hebrew language as spoken today preserves and perpetuates remains of
the world’s most ancient written languages, themselves long extinct,
even as it now coins new terms for expressing the most advanced scientific
and philosophical concepts. Having been written and spoken during its long
history in both the East and the West, Hebrew
embodies the riches of both cultures. In a language echoing the memories of
historical man’s earliest thoughts, Hebrew literature today gives
voice to the profound themes and questions which engage and challenge the
imagination of modern people.
The Hebrew Division of Hunter College offers a
comprehensive series of courses covering the major areas of ancient and
modern Hebraic studies. The diversified course of study of the Hebrew
program fully integrates linguistic, literary, and cultural approaches.
Language courses are designed to develop proficiency in spoken and written
Israeli Hebrew, and to prepare students for advanced readings in the
classics of Biblical, rabbinic, and modern Hebrew literature and thought. A
full sequence of courses in Biblical literature draws freely from the
wealth of archaeological finds and written texts recovered from the ancient
Near East, so as to illuminate the unique contributions of the Hebrew Bible
to religion and culture in general, and promote the understanding of the
Hebraic and Judaic factor in Western civilization. Offerings in
post-Biblical and modern Hebrew literature are designed to stress the
Biblical and Talmudic legacy in language, style, and motif and to cultivate
a critical appreciation of Hebraic and Judaic literature and thought
through the ages, against the background of world civilization.
Hunter’s program in Hebraic Studies is
among the most extensive undergraduate programs in the United States.
The Hebrew Program at Hunter is predicated on a broad-based historical and
philosophical approach to Hebrew culture, and combines professional and
academic training which complement each other through a comprehensive
series of course offerings. The designed interdependence of our offerings
in ancient and modern Hebraic Studies is a critical outgrowth of the broad
relevance of Hebraic Studies to the liberal arts in general and to the
humanities in particular. The wide variety of course offerings enables
students to concentrate their attention on one major period, or to strive
for overall proficiency, or to aim for both objectives simultaneously.
The professional goals of the program not only
aim at such fields as teaching, library science, publishing, community
leadership and diplomatic and trade exchanges, but also at more scholarly
in-depth work for the highly qualified students who pursue graduate work
and research.
Brief History and Present Status
The
Hebrew Division at Hunter College was founded by the renowned Hebrew poet
and scholar, Professor Israel Efros, in 1941. It
was conceived as an academic discipline in the humanities, covering the
language, literature and culture of the Jewish people from Biblical times
to modern Israel.
It rapidly developed as one of the largest programs in Hebraic Studies in
the country. about 1,000 students have been
graduated from Hunter over the past six decades as Hebrew majors,
contributing significantly to such areas of Jewish education, Hebraic
scholarship, Jewish social and community work, the rabbinate, and Jewish
leadership. It is noteworthy that the Hunter Hebrew Program has produced an
unusually high percentage of the instructors who have staffed the New York City high schools and suburban programs in
Hebrew over the years, as well as a significant number of professors of
Hebraic Studies, who received their Hebrew education in our Program.
The
Hebrew Division is located in Hunter West Building, room 1322. Telephone:
212-772-5107.
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