Follow
Feb. 10, 2021
Ever since she was a little girl in Catholic school, Hilary Giaccardi had questions about God. These would often land her in the principal’s office. Now at 60, she’s still on her quest and is learning biblical Hebrew online in order to read scripture in its original form. This involves not only learning to read the language but learning a culture, Giaccardi, an American living in France, told Haaretz by Zoom after her weekly lesson on Monday.
The Israel Institute of Biblical Studies was established about 20 years ago and now has thousands of students from over 100 countries, taking its Zoom classes in biblical Hebrew, Jewish studies, Holy Land studies, and also Yiddish, modern Hebrew and even biblical Greek and Aramaic. The courses are accredited by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the vast majority of students, who range in age from their early 20s to over 90, identify as Christians.