Putting conversation first: Jerusalem ulpan founder reflects on 18 years of teaching Hebrew to olim
Ami Steinberger’s Ulpan La-Inyan (ulpan.com) employs 80 to 90 teachers in a variety of time zones, teaching private lessons and group courses to roughly 2,000 students annually.
Ami Steinberger, a founder of Ulpan La-Inyan, reflects on his 18 years of teaching Hebrew to olim. Born in Los Angeles to a bilingual family, Steinberger grew up speaking English and Hebrew, giving him an advantage when he moved to Israel. He opened his first ulpan class in his living room in 2008, offering a conversational approach to Hebrew learning that many traditional ulpan courses lacked.
Today, Ulpan La-Inyan employs 80 to 90 teachers to provide private lessons and group courses to around 2,000 students annually, both in person and online.
Steinberger's method emphasizes conversation and practical language use over grammar drills, drawing from research on how the brain absorbs and processes language. With online classes becoming increasingly popular, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ulpan La-Inyan has adapted to offer digital courses combined with real-time human interaction.
While some challenges remain, such as pronunciation and verb conjugations, Steinberger believes that the human element in conversation is essential for effective language learning and maintaining Jewish identity for those outside of Israel.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
