Why Learn Hebrew as a Second Language ?

As young children have the ability to develop language skills early, educators and psychologists are encouraging the instruction of foreign linguistic studies from an early age. Unfortunately, American students in public schools lag sorely behind the rest of the world in foreign language acquisition.

Hebrew is a classical language like Greek and Latin and, through much of human history, has influenced many languages in Western culture. Etymologically, Hebrew can be found at the root of many words and constructs in English and in other languages thereby leading to a richer and more nuanced grasp of English.  

On a national level Israel is an important ally in the Middle East. The language of Israel, Hebrew is considered a critical language by the National Security Language Initiative of the United States Government.  In addition, Hebrew is part of the mainstream world of language acquisition in the United States. This world includes organizations such as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, the Defense Language Institute, the National Middle East Language Resource Center, the world-renowned Middlebury College Summer Language School and more.