A Real Review of HebrewOnline.com
While Hebrew Online offers courses in both modern and biblical Hebrew, I only have experience with the modern courses. For more information on learning biblical Hebrew, please click here.
Why am I writing a Hebrew Online review?
It’s no secret that the Hebrew language is challenging. It can be particularly challenging when immersed in Hebrew without any prior knowledge or preparation. This is exactly where I found myself last year when I tried Ulpan Gordon as a tourist in Israel. Overwhelmed. Confused. Frustrated.
Lately I’ve been thinking about my experiences last year and remembering how anxious I was having just arrived in Israel. At the time I found little assistance from Ulpan Gordon before I arrived and was starting my journey to learn Hebrew completely blindfolded. I had never studied Hebrew before, couldn’t read or write it, and felt about as green as a pony in a pasture.
With my experiences in mind, I contacted the co-founder of Hebrew Online to ask if I could give his program a try as a solution to alleviate much of the anxiety new students at Ulpan Gordon feel. Hebrew Online is a year long program that teaches Hebrew with native Israeli teachers via the computer. I couldn’t think of a better way to help future students of Ulpan Gordon than practice with a native Israeli speaker prior to arriving.
After discussing the situation with the founder, he was kind enough to allow me two weeks to try his online Hebrew learning program to determine if I felt it was something future students of Ulpan Gordon could use.
Let me just say that after only spending an hour with Hebrew Online, I wished that I had taken advantage of their distance learning program before I enrolled in Ulpan Gordon. It would have saved me a lot of headaches and anxiety. Nothing will prepare you more for studying at Ulpan Gordon than Hebrew Online.
What classes are offered?
One of the great advantages of Hebrew Online is the ability to study in a level that’s best suited for you.
Some students may already have basic knowledge, such as having learned the aleph-bet in Hebrew school along with basic words as a child. Other students know a great deal of Hebrew but are lacking grammatical structure. Or, you could be like me and begin your studies barely knowing that the language is written from right to left. Your specific level of learning will be determined prior to enrolling in a course. This way, you can take full advantage of your time in the course.
The different class levels include:
- Beginners Level A: Adult students of all ages (over 17), whose mother tongue is not Hebrew and do not speak, read or write Hebrew.
- Intermediates Level B: Adults who can hold a basic conversation in Hebrew, know the alphabet and can read and write short and simple texts.
- Intermediates Level C: Adults who can hold a basic conversation in Hebrew, read and write basic Hebrew and wish to improve their fluency and understanding skills.
- Advanced Level D: Adults who are able to conduct a conversation in Hebrew on different topics, read Hebrew texts such as newspaper articles and express themselves in Hebrew writing.
- Advanced Level E: Adults who are able to conduct a conversation in Hebrew on different topics, read Hebrew texts such as newspaper articles and express themselves in Hebrew writing.
My Five Immediate Impressions:
- They’ve made distance learning so easy, it makes me wonder why I never tried it before. If you’re not technologically inclined, the support center of Hebrew Online gladly takes all of the burden from you. I was contacted via phone not only to review the class I would be attending but also had an 30 minute online session the day before my first class to make sure all of my equipment was working correctly (computer, microphone, keyboard, etc). Oh yes, and have I mentioned yet that they mail you a high quality headset and Hebrew letter stickers for your keyboard?
- The instructor is very kind and patient. While you normally wouldn’t expect otherwise, I wanted to make sure to mention that the instructor I experienced was very professional and welcoming.
- Time flies when you’re having fun! The class meets once a week for 1 hour sessions. During my class sessions there were usually 4-5 other students in the class with me. That hour goes fast when everyone is participating and enjoying themselves.
- The course is structure very similar to an Ulpan in Israel. The style of teaching is based on the same moto as Ulpan Gordon, “Learning Hebrew with Hebrew”. This means that the instructor will try to use English as little as possible. I can’t stress how important this point is in the learning process. Nothing helps a student of a foreign language more than being completely surrounded by their adopted language. I was glad to see Hebrew Online also subscribing to this ideology.
- Hebrew Online gives you a chance to not only sharpen your language skills but also boost your confidence as a foreign language speaker. This is exactly what someone needs if their apprehensive about total Hebrew immersion in an Ulpan classroom setting (ah hem… like me). It’s amazing how much more stressful learning Hebrew can be when you’re being stared down face-to-face by an Israeli teacher along side 30 other classmates.
Not sure if it’s right for you?
This is the most brilliant part of all. You can get a trial lesson! Fill out your contact info and a counselor with Hebrew Online will get in touch with you to determine your level of knowledge. Take a trial run of a class to see for yourself.
I’ve tried free online Hebrew programs before and have left the site either confused, bored, uninspired, or all three!. I’ve purchased books that did little to motivate me. I’ve had the pleasure of attending Ulpan Gordon and understand now that instruction from a native Israeli is the absolute way to go. And now that I’ve studied with Hebrew Online, I’m confident that I’ve found my alternative to Ulpan Gordon if I ever find myself too far away from the school.
You don’t have to take my word for it (although after having experienced the ups and downs of learning Hebrew, I hope you do). I encourage you to contact Hebrew Online for more details.
If you’re serious about learning Hebrew or plan on attending an Ulpan in the future, click here.
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18 Responses to “A Real Review of HebrewOnline.com”
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I the gentleman was not a represenative of Hebrewonline then I'm must be a monkey's uncle ! Then again I might be for I fell hard and fast for the sharp sales team at hewbrew on line who calle me in Jamaica 3 times a day whilst I was deliberating parting with my US$1460 for 20 hours for my children. LOng and short I await my refund for registration as I want nothing to do with this scam.
I'm sorry you're experience was one of frustration but I found (and am still finding) my experience with Hebrew Online to be very efficient and pleasant to work with.
I rather enjoyed the quick responses I've received from both their sales team and also their technical support. They have been nothing but friendly, open, and welcoming to me.
In my experience, they have offered me an amazing opportunity to learn Hebrew with a professional native Israeli teacher. This opportunity alone is well worth the price. You simply can't find this anywhere else in the world.
I suppose we can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time but we can certainly try.
I also found it a scam. The free lesson is only provided if you commit to paying the full fee first… which makes it a fully paid lesson. Scam at it's best,
how much are the lessons?
Tod,
It is a forcefully money scam! I enjoy the two lessons that I had with http://www.hebrewonline.com, that I paid for, and perhaps would have continued on with the course. But when I looked at my bank statement after two courses, I was shocked! I did not give authorization for http://www.hebrewonline.com to bill me for the full amount of the course. It was their shady dealing that I was/am upset with. I immediately drop the course. I never would have figured that this sleazy practice would come from Israel. If you are planning to take this course, be prepared to pay the full amount and more. They should be ashamed but they are not, and don’t care. The con game rolls on!!!
Tod,
They make it very clear that the first 2 classes are a test run. IF you don't cancel after those 2 classes, you'll be charged. The contract clearly states this. The website clearly states this. You're being completely irrational in your assessment of Hebrew Online.
Irrational! Irrational! Is a person fleecing you out of your money irrational? I never read after two lessons that if you don't cancel after two classes, you'll be charged. If that’s the case, and the contract clearly states this; What contract? Do you know what a binding contract is? Regardless! Anyway, I cancelled after to two classes didn’t you read. I emailed them! Cancelled! Dropped the course! Do you what me to spell it out for you? C-A-N-C-E-L-L-E-D! Now who’s being irrational? I had people, allegedly from Israel calling me up and harassing and bugging me even before the two courses, hustling me, about if I was ready, etc, etc., and that, if I wanted to continue the course, payments arrangement would be make upon agreement. Whatever was/is taken from me, return it! To you Jami truth, peace and prosperity on your journey forwards!
Tod
It is a scam – they also had my money, billed me regardless of whether i did the trial. they are con persons…
Yikes. O.k. Tod. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I'm sorry it was a bad one.
The folks posting above are not the only ones that found it a scam. The lessons cost about 800$ (I'm not sure of the exact amount because they charge me in Euros even tho I pay in dollars – another part of the scam). I completed the first ulpan course and signed up for the 2nd, then realized that I wouldn't have the time and couldn't afford the money. I attempted to cancel 4 days after the first lesson, but they said I would have to pay HALF of the total as a cancellation fee. I had already paid around 200. They deducted another 486 dollars from my checking account that I (like an idiot) gave these gangsters access to. My teacher was great and I really enjoyed the other students as well but if you try to back out, Watch Out! Plus, they said it was going to be a longer course than it was. But suddenly it was over and I had to pay again. A scam! And the other posters are right that there was no free initial lesson even in the first course. There are other options out there for online learning for Hebrew that are no where near as expensive. Don't take their hook. You'll never get off.
Thanks all. You've just convinced me to buy Rosetta Stone Hebrew rather than sign up to hebrewonline.com.
I’ve been doing the Hebrew Online program for 6 months and it’s definitely helping me to learn Hebrew.
I’m not sure what you people are saying is a scam but you pay for a class and they give you a great class. The teachers are wonderful and they really are dedicated to helping you learn Hebrew.
Some time last year, I was considering HebrewOnline.com.
But, to me it looks like the company is constantly defending themsleves against complaints. Even sounds like Jami works for them.
Well my story is that I really wanted to learn Hebrew. I wanted to learn Biblical Hebrew, I wanted to be able to read the Hebrew Bible.
I tried Rosetta Stone Hebrew and it is not bad – but costs a lot, and did not cover Biblical Hebrew. It cost me nearly $400!
I heard about another software product called Read & Speak Hebrew on a website called jewishsoftware.com which costs around $89.95.
Believe me I do not have money to throw around. I was delighted that this CD-ROM was so affordable.
After I bought it, I heard that you can get it on sale for as low as $59.95, but whatever it is, let me tell you it is worth it!
What convinced me to try them is that the product had an excellent review from the Jerusalem Post. It was rated BEST with Five Stars, so I bought it and figured worst case scenario I would send it back since that website had a 30 day money back guarantee.
The company shipped it fast and the software certainly lived up to its Five Stars.
To tell you the truth I would give it Six Stars. I am so excited with my new found Hebrew.
I can actually Read and it took me about two months of not more than a half hour per day.
The product was excellent, and it did more for me than anything I ever tried.
Now it could be that HebrewOnline is a good way to learn Hebrew. But with all the “bad press” it scared me away.
Roger
Thank you for your input. But before you accuse me of working for someone, Roger, then maybe you shouldn’t link out to a product website. I don’t appreciate using my website to promote your own.
Every person learns differently and Hebrew is one of the most difficult languages to learn. It’s understandable that some programs work better for some people. The cost of learning is paid more through the cost of time. Learning a language isn’t simple and there is no easy fix. We must be dedicated and willing to put a lot energy into it. Short of going to the Ulpan or having a private teacher (of which I have tried them all), I found Hebrew Online to be the next best alternative.
i’m thinking of taking hebrewonline but am put off by adverse reports-my level would be intermediate c or advanced. any comments so far seem to be from basic courses.
another issue is if your access to the internet may not be consistently good-i may be pending some time in a caravan and access is variable. I may also spend 1 month at haifa uni ulpan and there would be more than enough intensive study there to have little ime left to use hebrewonline. admittedly this is for only 1 month.
steve waldman
My wife and I are both taking classes with hebrewonline (I’m basic A level, she is in B). She wasn’t sure if she was up to B before starting or if she should start with advanced A.
Reps from HebrewOnline have spent about 2-3 hours on the phone with her testing her hebrew, answering questions, etc. to make sure she got the right class. Finally they let her start with B, and they said if after a couple of sessions it was too advanced, she can switch over to A (at no extra charges, meaning she got extra classes for free).
They CLEARLY told both of us: You get each get a free trial lesson, after that you will be billed for the full amount if you do not cancel. It was crystal clear. On top of that, they charged only half price for her class, since we both agreed to sign up, so we got a discount. On top of that even, they were happy to let us make a payment plan over the duration of the course instead of paying for 1.5 classes up front.
The teachers are extremely patient, go over anything you ask question about, etc. I can’t say enough about the caliber of teachers they have.
The staff call almost right away if we send an email with a question and never make us feel rushed, and we’ve spent a lot of time on the phone with them (technical support, question about classes, etc).
I do not work for HebrewOnline, this is just my personal experience. We signed up late last year, so maybe they got complaints and changed their business practices, but I’ve nothing but praise for this class.
i will probably do the haifa university ulpan in july or august and consider hebrew on line when i return.the haifa ulpan is intensive -5 hours a day for 5 days of the week and 3 hours homework after but it should raisemy level from upper intermediate or lower advanced .
i came to israel from los angeles 9 months ago. i had to learn hebrew fast so i decided to look online for schools. i saw hebrew online and signed up.
i attended a few lessons and never went back. yes, the teacher was very kind and she taught well. the only problem is that i actually learned more with just speaking with my bf’s family than with them. they teach you 250 words the first lesson (A) which is NOTHING. id also rather study at a normal ulpan and have real interaction and be in a school enviorment. its easy for me to get distracted online because it can get really boring. the other problem is with the sale reps. coming here as a tourist and having no job, they pretty much drained my bank account, which my parents later had to pay for. theyve tricked me so many times! ive had to call and call and call and they never really FIXED the problem, they just changed it so it looked better. the sales reps dont know how to communicate at all! they themselves, need to learn some english!
oh and p.s.
they dont send a web cam that they promise. the second book they send, is the same book as the first which makes no sense. and the headphones are crap and broke in the first week.