This course introduces Arabic for learners with no prior experience, combining Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) with spoken varieties, primarily Levantine and Egyptian dialects. MSA is the formal version of Arabic used in news, literature, and official communication, while the dialects are used in everyday conversation across the Arab world.

The course develops basic skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and introduces key elements of the Arabic alphabet. Participants will learn essential vocabulary and phrases to help them engage in daily conversations and comprehend simple texts.

The aim of the course is to provide learners with a solid foundation in both formal and spoken Arabic, enabling them to communicate effectively at a beginner level. By the end of the course, participants will be able to greet people, introduce themselves, ask and answer simple questions, and handle basic interactions in Arabic-speaking contexts. In addition, students will gain insight into Arab and Islamic culture and history.

This course is ideal for anyone interested in learning Arabic for travel, work, or personal development. It also serves as a steppingstone for further studies, opening the door to the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the Arab world.

Course structure 

This Arabic course employs an interactive, participant-centered approach. Learners prepare independently at home, using the LINGCO website which is a LMS (Learning Management System), an online resource linked to the course book where digital exercises are provided and the teacher can follow the learners’ progress.

For every class hour estimate to work two hours at home.

Class time focuses on activating knowledge through pair work, group activities, conversation practice, and dictation exercises. The course encourages self-correction and peer assistance, minimizing lectures in favor of active language use and continuous practice.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge of Arabic is required for this course. It is designed for complete beginners and will start with the fundamentals of Modern Standard Arabic.

Participants with some existing knowledge of Arabic are welcome to join but they should be aware that the course content and pace is tailored to complete beginners.

Course material

All course material is not included in the cost for this course and participants need purchase the course book on their own.

Course book:

• “Alif baa: introduction to Arabic letters and sounds”, 3rd edition.

The book is available in both digital and printed version. Together with the printed version you get a code that gives you access to the website that accompanies the course. Participants are welcome to use either printed version and website or digital version and website.

Participants need to have access to the book for the first class. The digital version is recommended in order to facilitate delivery in time.

More information regarding the book and purchasing it is sent in the admission letter if you are accepted to the course.

About the teacher 

Michael has been studying and researching Arabic for over 20 years, with a particular interest in the similarities and differences between Hebrew and Arabic. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and a master’s degree in Hebrew Language from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, giving him a strong foundation in Semitic languages. In Israel, Michael taught Hebrew as a second language at leading academic institutions. He relocated to Sweden with his family 2 years ago, where he now teaches Hebrew and Arabic, both online and on-site. He also delivers lectures on the history, culture, and evolution of the Arabic language, and the religion of Islam.

Photo: Canva.

If you enjoy Israeli music and want to sing in Hebrew, this is the course for you.

Experience the richness of the Hebrew language through song. In this course we approach the language and have the opportunity to deepen previous knowledge by starting from and working with song texts in Hebrew.

Together we read, sing and listen to songs related to Jewish holidays, Israel, seasons and Jewish history. The classes offer opportunities for fun learning and focus on the participants’ interests.

Bruchim habaim, welcome!

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Click here to see a compilation of all courses in Hebrew that the school offers for the spring semester of 2026.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

Beginners as well as Hebrew speakers are welcome to apply. The course is suitable for everyone regardless of their level of Hebrew. For those who are beginners in Hebrew, song texts with transcribed text are offered.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Anat Samuelson was born and raised in Jerusalem, where she studied vocal studies at the Academy of Music and pedagogy at David Yelin College. She has been teaching Hebrew to adults, youth and children for over 10 years. Anat has a passion for the Hebrew language and a special interest in the origins and roots of Hebrew. Anat sings and performs in various ensembles and studies Kabbalah at Mishkan Hakavana in Israel.

Photo: Paideia/Canva. 

Why are they wearing scarves or streimels or sheitels and can they have jobs or is this influencer really speaking for all of them and who is even ”they”? We will take a behind the scenes look at a wide and diverse variety of orthodox communities, lives, and ideals. Beyond exploring the dress shops and kosher-pizza-sushi-eateries and complex, sometimes bewildering array of Halachic (Jewish law) detail (but not in detail!), and the experiences of people in different streams of orthodoxy, we will examine the ideologies, beliefs, and how different streams of orthodoxy construct meaning.

You will get to know key figures in Orthodoxy and have a closer and direct look at some of their writings, how communities have developed over time and what their essential differences are.

In this course we will join a dialogue about life and love, family and community and the individual and tradition and modernity with the goal of learning not just about others, but about ourselves. 

The course is given in collaboration with the Jewish Community in Stockholm.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

The course is appropriate for those with little familiarity and for those who want to learn more about the texts, worldviews and values under the different hats.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Esther Amster is a rabbanit at the Jewish Community of Stockholm and together with Rabbi Mattias Amster lives in Stockholm with their four kids; two Jerusalmites and two native Stockholmers. She speaks “Swinglish”, comes from the US, and has a background as an Art Therapist, student of Jewish texts, Israeli Oleh, Child-Parent Psychotherapist, and is now studying Jewish Education.

Photo: Atara Whitman (Jerusalem).

SPIRITUAL RESILIENCE IN THE EYES OF THE JEWISH HASIDIC SPIRITUAL TRADITION (ONLINE)

Life is often filled with great highs and lows. In the Jewish community and our communities more broadly in the last few years we have faced difficulty and struggle. What does the Jewish Hasidic spiritual tradition have to say about resilience and emerging through pain, strife and grief. 

This course will look at Torah text, biblical teachings and Hasidic teachings on the Parsha, Jewish weekly reading and the festivals which connect to ideas of spiritual resilience.

We will explore Hasidic insight on the ‘world to come’, ‘Messiah’, focus for life, understanding of the role of mitzvot (commandments) and a spiritual understanding of making an impression on the world, the spiritual trace of doing a good deed. 

We will examine Hasidic day-to-day traditional language of interpretation and learn new coping mechanisms and spiritual insight. Join us for this adventure in learning. 

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Course structure

The course consists of lectures and to study text in guided chevruta (learning pairs) for various exercises and processing. 

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed. The course design and the teacher encourage questions. Participants’ curiosity and critical questions offer the opportunity to dig deeper into the Hasidic and Jewish traditions.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Oliver Spike Joseph is a rabbi working for community organisations and higher education institutes. His passion is outreach, breaking community boundaries to connect people to Jewish life. Oliver teaches on spiritual care, capacity building and resilience. Oliver is a prison chaplain working with young prisoners. 

Oliver works for the European Masorti Bet Din, a rabbinic council which supports communities from Ukraine to the United Kingdom. Oliver studied in Jerusalem at the Fuchsberg Centre and at the Hartman Institute. He studied Jewish philosophy at the Tel Aviv University. Oliver was ordained as a rabbi at the Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles in 2015.

Oliver is a cancer survivor and a BRCA gene carrier who has worked with national charities as a health advocate for greater awareness of the cancer-causing BRCA gene mutation. He is passionate about cooking, gardening, hiking, running and cycling.

Photo: Canva. 

Welcome to continue our journey in a millennium old language, part and parcel of Ashkenazi Jewish civilization and a pathway to a rich cultural treasure. This course is designed for participants who already have a foundational knowledge of Yiddish grammar and can follow simple conversations.

We will converse in Yiddish, delve into advanced grammatical topics, and read and appreciate literary texts in Yiddish. As always, we will contextualize the language within its broader cultural and historical background.

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden and Jiddischsällskapet in Stockholm.

Paideia folkhögskola also offers the online courses Avrom Sutskever – Yiddish Poetry, Yiddish 3 and Yiddish conversation (in Yiddish/Swedish) during the spring semester of 2026. Please see more information under each course’s webpage.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

Participants need proficiency in reading and writing Yiddish. Understanding of present, future, and past tenses. Familiarity with grammatical cases, sentence structure, and various verb types in Yiddish.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course. Grammar and literature resources will be provided to participants via email.

About the teacher

Dr. Yaad Biran got his Ph.D. in Yiddish literature in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He teaches Yiddish language and culture in Beth Shalom Aleichem in Tel Aviv, in Haifa University and in the Tel Aviv summer course.

Yaad is a writer and a translator, the author of a short stories book Laughing with Lizards (Hebrew) and the writer of Esther’s Cabaret, a contemporary Yiddish Cabaret in Tel Aviv. He is also guiding Yiddish tours in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Photo: The image is of a painting by Jean Hessel.

Under what circumstances was Israel born and what is it today – a dream come true out of the ashes of the Holocaust or an attempt at creating an utopia on its way to become another Middle-Eastern failed state? When did it stop being a social-democratic welfare state and become a neo-liberal market economy? And is there any chance for peace with its neighbors?

The course will take us on a journey through the historic events, the big questions, ideologies and vital issues, the conflicts, the violence and the wars, the leaders, the prophets and political parties and the people who shaped 75 years of Israeli history.

Paideia folkhögskola also offers the course “Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 2” in the spring of 2026. You can find more information on the course page for that course.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Born and raised in Israel and currently living in Stockholm, David Stavrou is a journalist, a guide and a teacher. As a journalist he writes for Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz and for other publications about Sweden, Scandinavia and Europe and about issues related to democracy, human rights and genocide worldwide. His book, “An Israeli Cross”, which he co-authored with his brother, Daniel Stavrou, was published in 2014 by Israeli publisher Indibook. His second book about the Israeli diaspora in Europe, “Leaving Zion”, was published in 2020 by Israeli publisher Pardes. He is married and a father of four boys.

Photo: Haifa, Canva.

Welcome to a series of meetings dedicated to Klezmer music!

We will explore the fantastic and rich repertoire of Eastern-European and American Jewish instrumental folk music: its joyful and melancholic melodies, how to interpret and embellish them with traditional ornamentations, discovering the structure of the melodies and their modes, as well as how to accompany the various dance forms with their diverse and characteristic rhythmical patterns.

The course is taught by ear. Participants must have intermediate knowledge of their instruments (no beginners), meaning knowing the names of notes and corresponding positions on their instruments. Music scores are made accessible at the end of the lessons, but we will not be reading from them in class. Participants are expected to learn the melodies by heart to proceed with learning how to embellish and accompany them.

Participants will have access to EDU Soundtrap, an online platform for recording multi-track, to be used as a tool for practising at home and creating their own arrangements, and will be introduced to MuseScore, an open-source and free music notation software, to be used as a tool for analysis of the tunes learned in the class.

The course is concluded with a concert.

This course is given in collaboration with Svenska Klezmerföreningen.

Group division

Participants are divided into groups based on their instrument skills and experience of learning to play by ear without sheet music. Depending on the number of groups and applicants, each group meets for between 1-2 hours.

Participants are expected to learn the melodies by heart, and practice at home, to proceed with learning how to embellish and accompany them.

Prior knowledge 

The course is given in English.

The course welcomes new as well as previous participants, who have passed the beginner level on their instrument by a good margin.

Participants bring their own instruments. The course is not suitable for guitar players due to its focus on melodies and ornaments. 

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

Participants bring their own instruments.

About the teacher

Valeria Conte is a multi-talented Italian clarinettist who has studied and performed klezmer music since 2006 (www.valeriaclarinetta.com), exploring the music’s connection to Jewish culture and society. She has participated in various seminars and workshops on klezmer music and Yiddish song & culture in and outside Europe. Valeria holds a BA in classical clarinet and an MA in global music. She has performed internationally in various multicultural environments and world music styles. She currently performs with her band, Valeria’s Klezmer Chariot, and is the leader and organiser of the OAKJS – Klezmer Sessions.

Photo: Aaro Keipi.

A course for those who have completed “Israeli Society, History and Politics”, in which we’ll take an in-depth look and add new perspectives to some of the topics covered in the first course, using texts, analysis, and other sources.

We’ll discuss issues which were not covered deeply in the first course like the story of North African and Middle Eastern Jews in the 20th century and the conflicts between Theodor Herzl and his Jewish opposers. We’ll also read key texts by Herzl, Yitzhak Rabin, Binjamin Netanyahu, Reuven Rivlin and more and go deeper into the implications of the 1948, 1967 and 1973 wars when we’ll look into the development of post war movements such as Gush Emunim (the settler movement) and Shalom Acshav (Peace Now).

Like in the first course, these subjects will be complemented by inserts of Israeli cultures – music, film and literature.

Paideia folkhögskola also offers the course “Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1” in the spring of 2026. You can find more information on the course page for that course. 

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

Applicants need to have completed the course “Israeli Society, History and Politics”. 

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Born and raised in Israel and currently living in Stockholm, David Stavrou is a journalist, a guide and a teacher. As a journalist he writes for Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz and for other publications about Sweden, Scandinavia and Europe and about issues related to democracy, human rights and genocide worldwide. His book, “An Israeli Cross”, which he co-authored with his brother, Daniel Stavrou, was published in 2014 by Israeli publisher Indibook. His second book about the Israeli diaspora in Europe, “Leaving Zion”, was published in 2020 by Israeli publisher Pardes. He is married and a father of four boys.

Photo: Haifa, Canva.

Sholem-aleykhem! Welcome to Yiddish 3!

Learning Yiddish is an opportunity to connect with this rich Eastern European Jewish language and culture with its beautiful music and literature. This is a treasure trove that is just waiting to be discovered!

This Yiddish course is designed for participants, who are at an Advanced Beginners or Lower Intermediate level of Yiddish, having studied Yiddish for at least two semesters. (See more information below under “Prior knowledge”.) 

We will start each lesson with some Yiddish conversation, which we will build up more and more as we go along. Then we will revise some of the grammar and vocabulary learned in the previous lesson. After that, we will work with our Yiddish textbook, read the reading material, the dialogues and the jokes there, learn new vocabulary and grammar and do some of the exercises in the book. And we will conclude every lesson with a Yiddish song.

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden and Jiddischsällskapet i Stockholm.

Paideia folkhögskola also offers the online courses Avrom Sutskever – Yiddish Poetry, Yiddish 7 and Yiddish conversation (in Yiddish/Swedish) during the spring semester of 2026. Please see more information under each course’s webpage.

Course structure

This will be an interactive online Yiddish course, which will include Yiddish conversation, working with a Yiddish textbook, reading, learning new grammar and vocabulary and doing various exercises, as well as some Yiddish songs. 

Participants will be expected to spend some time every week to work on their reading and writing, to learn the vocabulary and to revise the grammar covered in each class.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

This is a course designed for participants at an Advanced Beginners or Lower Intermediate level of Yiddish. Participants should be able to form sentences in the present and past tense and to read texts in Yiddish in the Hebrew script.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course literature

All course literature is not included in the course cost. You need to acquire the following books on your own: 

• “Yiddish, Volume 1″ (Sheva Zucker).  
• “Yiddish, Volume 2″ (Sheva Zucker).  

You will receive more information about the course books that you purchase on your own, if you get accepted to the course.

About the teacher

Dr. Beruriah Wiegand is the Woolf Corob Lector in Yiddish at the University of Oxford. She holds a BA and MA in Hebrew and Jewish Studies from Leo Baeck College, London, and a Ph.D. from University College London, with a thesis on Jewish mystical motifs in the works of Isaac Bashevis Singer. She has lectured on Bashevis’s works and on Yiddish poetry at major conferences around the world.

Beruriah is also a Yiddish poet and translator, who has published two bilingual collections of her poetry (Yiddish/English) with the H.Leyvik-farlag in Tel Aviv, as well as various translations from and into Yiddish.

Photo: The image is of a painting by Jean Hessel.

In this course, you will learn the Hebrew alphabet and vowels, common words and simple phrases, how to talk about yourself, ask questions, and give easy-to-understand answers in Hebrew. We will also study basic grammar. By the end of the course, you will be able to read simple words and sentences.

Bruchim habaim — welcome!

The course is organized by the Jewish Community of Gothenburg and Paideia folkhögskola.

Note that the Modern Hebrew courses semester 1-4 can only be taken at one level per semester. If you are unsure which level is right for you, please contact the administration at info@paideiafolkhogskola.se.

Click here to see a compilation of all courses in Hebrew that the school offers for the spring semester of 2026.

Course structure

The course is given in central Gothenburg. You will be informed of the address in your admission letter if you are admitted to the course.

You are expected to be active during the course sessions and participate in discussions and exercises with other participants. Homework assignments between the course sessions are included.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English. The teacher is an English speaker. Participants speaking both Swedish and English are welcome to apply.

The course is suitable for those who are interested in learning the basics of spoken Hebrew, as well as writing, reading, and more. It is a beginner’s course with no prior knowledge required.

Course material

All course material is not included in the cost for this course. The course uses the book:

• “Barosh Uvarishonah, First and Foremost, Hebrew for beginners and more”, workbook and textbook.

Participants have the option to buy the book from the school. You indicate in your application whether you want to buy a book from the school or acquire the book yourself.

 Photo: Paideia/Canva.