Nehama Bersohn

Professor Bersohn is a FANTASTIC professor. After 12 years of Hebrew classes, I have learned more in one semester than I did throughout high school. Maybe even throughout K-12. She is deeply passionate about Israel, Judaism, and the subject matter. She cares a lot about her students and is willing to do anything to help them. She has an edge, which I really enjoy. She keeps class interesting and she keeps students on their toes. Prepare yourself to actually learn stuff in this Hebrew class -maybe for the first time in your life... that's how it has felt for me. I feel really lucky to be able to have her again next semester. Perk: you get class off for Jewish holidays.

Nechama, above the other hebrew teachers here, is a professor. While the other classes here have a hebrew-school vibe, Nechama tones it down tremendously and is incredibly on top of her shit. She is brilliant and you will definitely learn and be challenged in this class. HOWEVER, that did not prevent this class from turning somewhat into a class on Judaism, no matter how she tried otherwise. The first few days of class my understanding was that that we would be studying Israeli literature and culture, and I was excited about this. I understood that there is an element of tradition to Israeli culture, but that it is also much much more than that. Nechama did many times try to maintain balance the tradition with the modern, but eventually catered solely to the religious crowd. ALL of her examples for new words came from the Bible, and many (if not most) of her sentences began with "For those of you who went to day school...". If you did go to day school, you will feel very comfortable in this class. If you did not, then less so. I personally did not come to this class to study Judaism, I came to learn Hebrew. I know these are by no means mutually exclusive, but they are also not identical. Nechama repeatedly emphasized how important it is to understand the Jewish tradition in order to understand Israeli literature (once in a while she even sounded apologetic about it, which I ap…

I love Gveret Bersohn! I've learned so much in just one semester. I'm actually able to have small conversations, compared to last year when I was too scared to even speak in class. To like this class and do well you have to pay attention and do the work, which shouldn't be a problem for anyone who wants to learn a language well. She is a stickler about being late, so just accept it and get to class on time. She's right, it is disrespectful to walk into class late. That said she won't hate you for the rest of your life if by chance you don't wake up in time.

I have to agree with many of the other reviews. Nehama Bersohn is the best Hebrew teacher I've ever had, and after many years at Jewish day schools/Hebrew school/private tutoring, that is saying something. That said, you must take this class seriously to actually learn. It will be tempting to come in late, as the class meets every day, and not to do the frequent homework, and many of my classmates do that. You will be penalized, but you will also be disrespecting a truly wonderful teacher who just wants to help you learn. She also takes a personal interest in each student and is always willing to offer extra help or support, which is really nice. She definitely has grumpy days, but she sees the same students every day, so that seems inevitable. I would definitely recommend this class if you actually want to learn Hebrew. If you really, really want an easy language class, take Yiddish. I hear it's fun.

Nehama Bersohn is probably one of the best Hebrew teachers I have ever had (and this is coming out of 12 years of Hebrew day school). She encourages everyone's participation and, because she keeps her classes small, she doesn't hesitate to spend as much as necessary to explain things that aren't completely understood all around. She's a genuinely nice woman and she is ABSOLUTELY brilliant - the woman can quote tanach (Hebrew bible) off the top of her head and she actually genuinely knows the reasons for all the tedious grammar rules she was teaching. I wish she taught some advanced Hebrew classes so I could continue to take classes with her!

15-30 minutes per night, and maybe an extra hour or two before a test. Nightly homework and probably 4-5 tests per semester. One final. Be prepared that the final is during reading week!!

Daily assignments, some longer than others. Stories, poems, occasional short essays, five quizzes total. She only grades the quizzes but gives back comments on all the assignments and assumes you're putting in your best.

I've learned an enormous amount, and the semester is just halfway through. As another reviewer mentioned, Nehama has a vast repository of historical and biblical quotes at her command, as well as expressions and cute little colloquialisms. She's high-energy and always seems to be in a good mood. Language instruction has never been so much fun. A note to daydreamers: She cares about getting verbal responses (and rapt attention) from every single student -- so prepare to wake up and pay attention at 9 a.m.!

Reasonable. About 15-30 minutes per night. If you do all the work and study as she assigns it, you won't have to study too hard for tests.

Most of my hebrew teachers prior to college were downright bad. I was not looking forward to more hebrew, but Prof. Bersohn was awesome. She even managed to make grammar not so boring. She knows the Bible so well that she can relate what you are learning to something you recognize from prayers or just a famous pasuk (verse from bible) or phrase. She is also one of the nicest teachers you will ever encounter. Yes, its true, she makes fun of you if you are late. I was definately her favorite to pick on. But its all out of love. She really cares about her students and tries to help them out in any and every way. If you have the choice, without a doubt, take Prof. Bersohn.