U.S. Students Pass “jerusalem Examinations”; Receive Certificates

Certificates of proficiency in Hebrew Language and Literature were awarded yesterday to 26 successful candidates who participated in the ninth annual ‘Jerusalem Examinations.’ The examinations which are prepared by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and are given in a number of countries throughout the world, are sponsored in America by the Jewish Agency’s Department of Education and Culture in cooperation with the American Friends of the Hebrew University and the National Council for Jewish Education.

Four candidates from the New York area received their certificates at a special reception to be held in the offices of the Jewish Agency. Prof. Shlomoh D. Goitein, noted Israeli Orientalist and one of the initiators of the ‘Jerusalem Examinations’ program, was the guest of honor. Prof. Goitein, head of the Hebrew University’s School of Oriental Studies, is at present in the United States as visiting professor at Temple University Philadelphia. The reception also marked the installation of Dr. William Chomsky of Gratz College, Philadelphia, the newly appointed chairman of the National Committee for the “Jerusalem Examinations.”

The Jerusalem Examinations which are similar to the Cambridge University examinations for foreign students and confer upon the successful candidate the title ‘Amit’ or Fellow were inaugurated by the Hebrew University in 1948 as a means of stimulating the study of Hebrew in the Diaspora. They consist of an essay to be written in Hebrew, a translation or summary of selections from Hebrew literature and questions referring to material in books indicated on a special book list. Preparation for the examination entails the study of a minimum of 100 chapters from the Bible, and readings in classical and modern Hebrew Literature.