YU to Eliminate Three-Semester Hebrew Track, Introduce Synchronous Option for Fall 2025
YU will roll out changes to its undergraduate Hebrew requirement beginning fall 2025. The updates, announced to students in an email on May 28, eliminate the three-semester asynchronous online Hebrew sequence and introduce a new synchronous option.
As in previous years, students will take a placement exam to determine which of five Hebrew course tracks they fall into. For Beren students, the first category requires three semesters of study: two Hebrew courses followed by a Bible course. For Wilf students in IBC, BMP and MYP, the first category requires two Hebrew courses in the synchronous section. The second and third categories require two and one Hebrew course(s), respectively. Students who place into the fourth category must take an advanced course, and students in the fifth can qualify for an exemption through a writing sample, Bagrut certificate or a Jerusalem Exam score of 85% or higher.
Professor Shalom Holtz, director of the Hebrew language program at YU, told The Commentator that under the new system, students placed into HEB 1010 will complete only HEB 1010 and 1020. Those who place into HEB 1030 will complete just that course. “Nobody will be placed directly in HEB 1020,” Holtz said.
Another major change is the introduction of online-synchronous options for HEB 1010, 1020 and 1030. These courses follow the same syllabus as the asynchronous courses but include a weekly meeting with the instructor. This design is for “students [who] know that they work better with a structured program, rather than with the flexibility of setting their own course schedules and studying at their own pace,” Holtz told The Commentator.
The three-semester asynchronous Hebrew sequence was first introduced to the Wilf Campus in 2020 and expanded to all undergraduate programs in 2022. This model “was developed by our faculty as an innovative, online, asynchronous curriculum during Covid,” Dean Cypess told The Commentator. “With the program now having been in use for almost five years, this seemed like a natural time to conduct a systematic review.”
The working group of faculty from Stern College and Yeshiva College conducted the review based on factors such as faculty feedback, student engagement and learning outcomes. Student dissatisfaction was also a motivating factor. Since it was established, YU’s asynchronous Hebrew program has faced heavy criticism from both students and the wider YU community.
“They [the asynchronous courses] can be difficult to manage for some students carrying heavy academic loads,” Cypess said. “We saw an opportunity to reintroduce sections with synchronous elements, giving students increased input and accountability.”
The new curriculum will also formalize existing intensive Hebrew tracks already in place for Beren’s Mechina students and the JSS program.
In addition, the online Hebrew course content will be revised to better align with both academic standards and the values of the YU community. “We want to ensure that they are reaching a high enough level,” said Cypess.
A final update is that Hebrew courses on the Wilf campus that were previously worth three credits will now count for only two.
“After years of complaints and frustrations with the current Hebrew system and having met with both Dean Cypess and Professor Holtz, it’s great to see that the new administration is taking the students’ opinion and feedback seriously when it comes to making positive changes to the curriculum,” Baruch Bluth (YC ‘27) told The Commentator.
Minna Katz (SCW ‘26) was originally placed into the three-semester sequence of online, asynchronous Hebrew.
“With almost no Hebrew background, I couldn’t manage an online course,” Katz told The Commentator.
After requesting a beginner-friendly alternative, Katz was moved to an in-person beginner’s Hebrew class. However, she still had to take two semesters of asynchronous courses afterward, which turned out to be “a real struggle — so much so that I had to take the class as pass/fail,” she said.
“With the new system, I could have done all three in person,” Katz added. “It’s a pity the change didn’t come sooner, but I’m very glad the school eventually listened to student feedback and made the change.”
Photo Caption: The Hebrew requirement is set to change as of this fall semester
Photo Credit: The Commentator
