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Hebrew ulpan for Ethiopian-Israeli parents and grandparents — and what to ask before enrolling

Adult Hebrew ulpanim run nationwide under the Ministry of Education, and there is an official list. What does not exist is centralised information about Amharic support — so this page gives you the list, and the exact questions worth asking on the phone.

In brief, in Amharic

ዕብራይስጥ መማር ትፈልጋላችሁ? በእስራኤል ውስጥ ለአዋቂዎች የዕብራይስጥ ኡልፓኖች በትምህርት ሚኒስቴር ሥር በመላ አገሪቱ ይሠራሉ። ሚኒስቴሩ በአራት አውራጃዎች የተከፋፈለ ብሔራዊ ዝርዝር ያሳትማል፤ የእያንዳንዱ ኡልፓን የመገናኛ መረጃ በዝርዝሩ ውስጥ አለ። አማርኛ የሚናገር መምህር ወይም ረዳት በኡልፓኑ ውስጥ አለ ወይ የሚለው በአንድ ቦታ ተጠቃሎ አልተጻፈም። ስለዚህ በቀጥታ ወደ ኡልፓኑ መደወልና መጠየቅ ያስፈልጋል። ወጪውና የምዝገባው ሂደትም ከኡልፓን ኡልፓን ይለያያል። በዚህ ገጽ ላይ በስልክ መጠየቅ ያለባችሁን ጥያቄዎች አዘጋጅተናል።

What to do — five steps

  1. Open the official ulpan list

    The Ministry of Education publishes a national list divided into four districts, with contact details for each ulpan. Pick two or three near you — not just one.

    Ulpan list — Ministry of Education ↗

  2. Ask: is there an Amharic-speaking teacher or aide?

    This is the central question, and it is worth asking it in exactly those words rather than requesting a “bilingual ulpan” — a term they will not necessarily recognise. If the answer is no, also ask whether the group has other Amharic-speaking learners in it.

  3. Ask which level is the right starting point

    Ulpan Aleph is the beginners' level and Ulpan Bet the continuation. If there is a literacy gap in Amharic too — say so on the call. It changes the recommendation, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

  4. Check hours, length, cost and registration terms

    These vary between ulpanim and are not published centrally. Ask about class hours too — an ulpan at hours that clash with work or with the grandchildren will not last.

  5. Compare two before enrolling

    The difference between ulpanim in mother-tongue support and group composition is large, and appears on no list. Fifteen minutes of phone calls saves a year of frustration.

The full guide

An ulpan is a Hebrew-learning framework for adults, run by the Adult Education Division of the Ministry of Education. Ulpanim operate nationwide, and the ministry publishes a national list divided into four districts — Tel Aviv and Centre, Jerusalem, Haifa and the North, and the South — with contact details for each ulpan. What the official list does not say is what mother-tongue support each ulpan offers. The ministry's site carries no centralised information about this, so there is no way to know in advance whether a given ulpan has an Amharic-speaking teacher or aide. The only way to find out is to call and ask. ## What is documented — and as history, not as an available service Over the years the Ministry of Education documented and reviewed dedicated teaching models for adult Ethiopian-born immigrants. One of them placed two teachers in the classroom at once: an Ethiopian-born, Amharic-speaking teacher who taught vocabulary and built a cultural bridge, alongside a veteran teacher who led the Hebrew acquisition itself. It matters to be precise about that model's status today. A 2014 article by the Adult Education Division, reviewing changes to the curriculum for Ethiopian immigrants between 1988 and 2014, states explicitly: "in individual classrooms two teachers taught in parallel, a teacher from the community and a veteran teacher, but it was not possible to embed this approach across the system, owing to budget constraints." So the model was tried in individual classrooms and never became a national standard. Our own check found no ulpan running it today. We present it here as historical background only, not as a service you can request by name. If you walk into an ulpan and ask for a "bilingual ulpan", they will most likely not know what you mean. The questions further down this page are phrased in language that will actually work on the phone. ## Why it is still worth asking Mother-tongue support at an ulpan is not a luxury. Adult Ethiopian-born immigrants face barriers that learners from other backgrounds do not — sometimes a literacy gap in the mother tongue itself, distance from the standard frontal, text-based method, and difficulty using independent Hebrew study materials from day one. Even an Amharic-speaking aide for part of the week, or a group with other Amharic-speaking learners in it, changes the experience. So it is worth calling more than one ulpan before enrolling, even if one of them is closer to home. ## What else to know Cost, the exact registration process and admission terms vary between ulpanim and are not listed centrally on the ministry's site. Check them directly with the ulpan you choose. If you are a family member helping a parent or grandparent — the most useful thing you can usually do is make these phone calls together with them, rather than instead of them.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a bilingual Hebrew-Amharic ulpan?

    Not as a service you can enrol in under that name. A two-teacher model — one Amharic-speaking, one veteran — is documented in Ministry of Education publications, but a 2014 article by the Adult Education Division states that it was tried in individual classrooms and never embedded across the system, owing to budget constraints. Our own check found no ulpan running it today. What does exist is many ulpanim nationwide, some of which have Amharic-speaking staff — and that is what to check on the phone.

  • How much does an ulpan cost?

    The cost varies between ulpanim and is not published centrally on the ministry's site, so we do not quote a figure. Ask about it on the call, and ask explicitly whether there is a discount or exemption for those who meet certain conditions.

  • My parent is 70. Is it too late?

    Adult ulpanim have no age limit. What does matter at an older age is the fit of the framework: pace, group size, hours, and mother-tongue support. Those are exactly what the questions on this page are for. It is also worth asking whether there is a group where most learners are of a similar age.

  • I want to help my parent enrol. What helps most?

    Make the phone calls together with them, not instead of them. They are the ones who will study there, and they are the ones who need to form an impression of whoever answers. Your role is usually to prepare the list, sit beside them during the call, and write down the answers.

And the other direction

Language in a family flows both ways: the parents learn Hebrew, and the children and grandchildren learn Amharic.

Official links

  • National ulpan list — Ministry of Education

    The official list, divided into four districts with contact details for each ulpan. This is the starting point.

    Visit site ↗

  • Pedagogical portal — new immigrants, Ministry of Education

    General Ministry of Education information on Hebrew studies and immigrant absorption in the education system.

    Visit site ↗

Sources

The information on this page is current as of the review date and is based on Ministry of Education publications. Registration terms, costs and staffing vary between ulpanim — verify with the ulpan itself before enrolling.