Applications for language classes starting in Trinity Term 2025 are now open! The deadline to apply is 4 April 2025.
(You can check time-zone comparisons on sites such as this one; Oxford dates of term are available on the University website)
Begun in October 2021, the Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages (OSRJL) of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, in collaboration with other institutions globally including ILARA, offers a range of free online classes, taught by leading academics, on 18 vernacular languages spoken and/or written by Jews from the Middle Ages until today.
Languages to be taught during the 2024-25 academic year include the following. Click on the language name for class descriptions and more information.
In addition to language classes, the OSRJL hosts: Jewish music classes, a series of lectures, an academic blog entitled The Jewish Languages Bookshelf, and a Visiting Fellows programme.
Applying
The number of places available for OSRJL language classes is limited. Priority is given to applicants who are current university students at any university globally (particularly those students studying Hebrew or Jewish Studies or related fields, as well as languages), but everyone is invited and welcome to apply.
All classes are free of charge to their students and are held online via Zoom. All those accepted to language classes will be eligible for Certificates of Participation subject to attendance requirements (missing no more than the equivalent of 2 class sessions per term of the class[es] taken) at the end of the class.
If accepted to a class, students are expected to attend all sessions for the duration of the class. We ask all applicants to be prepared to commit to joining a class consistently for its duration. Places are highly competitive and, if a student misses the first 2 sessions of any given class without prior communication, they will automatically be removed from said class and their place offered to someone from the waiting list.
Please note that OSRJL classes run for different lengths of time: some for 1 term, some for 2 terms, and some for 3 terms. Those lasting multiple terms only invite and accept student applications at their start since the content of classes builds on itself each term and does not repeat; therefore, classes do not accept applications at any other points throughout the year. Students accepted to classes are expected to be able to attend them for their duration, however many terms that might be.
If you have any queries or comments, then please email the OSRJL Administrator, Ms Esther Edwards, at osrjl@ochjs.ac.uk. To receive regular updates regarding the activities of the OCHJS, including the OSRJL programme, please email our Academic Administrator, Ms Priscilla Lange, at academic.administrator@ochjs.ac.uk and request to join our activities email list.