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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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