Every new oleh is entitled to a free ulpan, and every English-speaker in Jerusalem knows someone who never finished it. Here is how the courses work and how to get value from them.
Ulpan is the intensive Hebrew course the state built for immigrants, and it still works: five months of mornings takes most beginners to functional Hebrew, and Jerusalem has more ulpanim than any other city. New olim get one free within a period after arrival; everyone else pays, but not much. Start early, before English-speaking life in the Anglo neighbourhoods makes it optional. The first-month checklist shows where it fits.
The free ulpan for olim
The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration funds an ulpan aleph (beginners' course) for eligible new olim; your absorption counsellor (yoetz klita) registers you in a municipal or ministry ulpan near home, in a morning or evening track. Attendance is recorded and some support is tied to it, so treat it as a job. The window to use the entitlement is limited; ask your counsellor for the current period and do not let it lapse while settling in.
The levels
Courses run from aleph (beginner) through bet, gimel and upward; placement is by a short test. Aleph teaches the alphabet, reading and the survival grammar; bet gets you through a conversation with the gan teacher and the bank; gimel and above are for reading a newspaper and working in Hebrew. Most olim finish aleph and bet in the free framework and continue privately or in the municipal evening classes.
Where in Jerusalem
- Municipal and ministry ulpanim in several neighbourhoods, morning intensive and evening tracks; the counsellor places you.
- Ulpan Etzion is the historic residential ulpan for young single olim, with dormitories, a five-month programme and a social scene that produces marriages.
- The Hebrew University's Rothberg school runs summer and semester ulpanim for students and adults, academic in style.
- Private ulpanim (Ulpan-Or and others) teach smaller groups, conversation-first, flexible hours, at a price; good for people who work.
- Community centres and shuls run cheap conversation groups and evening classes; the AACI and NBN list them.
- Online: apps and live online classes fill the gaps, but nothing replaces a room where the teacher will not answer in English.
What makes it stick
- Go every day. Ulpan is cumulative; the people who stop attending in week six are the ones who never learn.
- Use it the same day: the shuk, the bank, the gan gate and the bus driver are your homework.
- Watch Israeli television with Hebrew subtitles rather than English ones; the news is slow and clear.
- Find a language partner: Israelis who want to practise English are everywhere, and the community centres pair people.
- Accept the accent. Nobody expects fluency; they expect effort, and they reward it instantly.
Children and teenagers
Children in gan and primary school pick up Hebrew in months without ulpan; the school provides support hours. Teenagers need more: ask the school about its olim programme, and consider a summer ulpan before the first September. The schools guide explains the support that exists.
Hebrew you will meet
- ulpan — the intensive Hebrew course
- kita aleph / bet — beginner / lower-intermediate level
- mora / moreh — teacher (f/m)
- shiur — lesson
- ivrit — Hebrew
- le'at le'at — slowly, slowly (what everyone will tell you)
More everyday words are in our Hebrew vocabulary guide.
Common questions
Is ulpan free for new olim?
Yes, one beginners' ulpan funded by the Ministry of Aliyah, within a set period after arrival and registered through your absorption counsellor. Later levels and private ulpanim are paid.
How long does ulpan take?
The intensive morning track runs about five months for level aleph; evening tracks take longer. Reaching comfortable everyday Hebrew usually means aleph and bet, so a year of some form of study.
Can I do ulpan while working?
Yes: municipal evening ulpanim, private ulpanim with flexible hours and online classes exist for people who work. Progress is slower than the morning intensive but real.
Which ulpan is best in Jerusalem?
The free one you will actually attend. Ulpan Etzion for young singles, the university for students, a private ulpan if you need small groups and flexible hours.
An ulpan we should add, or a rule that changed? Tell us and we will fix it.
Related guides
