Program Reviews

I stayed at the centre for 3 weeks while participating in Human Rights Program since I wanted to learn about the current situation in Palestine, its culture and people in the most authentic way possible. Moreover, I got the chance to learn Arabic as well and my experience overall was surreal, fullfiling and very humbling.
Excellence centre personel was very kind and helpfull and regarding the safety in Hebron, I personally never felt in danger or unsafe in any way.
Would definitely recommend!!

I came to the center to develop my skills in MSA and Palestinian dialect. I registered for a 2 weeks intensive prgram, which means 4h of courses and some more for homework. Not much time to get bored, but some freetime to go around tozn on your own.

If you feel a little doubtful about discovering Hebron by your own, the center often organizes visits or meetings with local NGOs.

The staff is welcomingm dedicated and very fun. Part of the pleasure comes from being a groupd from various background, and progressing as a team

I got an individual programme adapted to my level of knowledge. That was perfect. The staff was very helpfull and the teacher was perfect. I loved my stay in this Palestine city. I had no problem and went through the town walking. Taking a taxi or a bus was no problem. I took a taxi to Bethelem. This was a nice visit. We went to a refugee camp,\. This was very interesting.The old city is worthwhile visiting,

I recommend the excellence center for young and old. It is realy a chance to study arabic n al khaliel.

I have wanted to participate in this program for a really long time, but just never had the time to take off. I am so happy that I did. I met so many amazing people here and this was an amazing opportunity for me. Rafat and Radwan were amazing and welcomed me like family.
The students here can learn to speak English, but also German which enables them to acclimate better here in Germany and gives them opportunities they never would have had. It is amazing to see such a program here helping people and seeing them smile and be so grateful for the service. My German teacher Moaz was amazing as well. I learned quite a bit in my short three weeks here due to his patience with me as I was learning and quizzing techniques. I would recommend Moaz to teach anyone due to his kind spirit.

Marhaba my name is Angela and I’m from the United States. I recently graduated with a degree in political science and the program I participated in at the Excellence Center was the Israel and Palestine in Context Internship. I stayed at the Excellence Center for one month and did various activities everyday. There were frequent visits to offices around Hebron that dealt with different aspects of society. They ranged from governmental offices to local artist studios. Throughout each of these visits, we were able to inquire about their work and how the unique situation of Palestine affects their work. The Excellence Center also provides Arabic lessons so that everyone is able to master basic communication that is vital for moving around Hebron and Palestine as a whole. Because of this I hope to continue my lessons in Arabic back home. The staff and teachers at the Excellence Center are passionate about their work and are especially helpful to the international volunteers. They are eager to teach us Arabic and about the complexity of their daily lives. The students at the Excellence Center are sweet and enthusiastic about learning English and practicing with the internationals. Since the location of Hebron is ideal within the West Bank, I was able to travel every weekend to Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nablus. The Excellence Center also provided great information about traveling to these areas and the types of activities we can do. However, I greatly enjoyed my time spent in Hebron due to the hospitality and generosity from the host family. This was one of the best parts of my time in Palestine because I was able to fully immerse myself within the beautiful Palestinian culture and even practice my Arabic. Not only did my host family make me feel protected but Hebron as a whole is a very safe city. Internationals do typically stick out but it is not a bad thing since many Palestinians are eager to speak with us and invite us over for coffee. I am grateful to the Excellence Center for providing such an amazing experience to me and all the internationals

My name is Hattie Langdon, I am from the UK and I participated in the Intensive Arabic Programme. I really enjoyed my Arabic lessons with Maryum, they were a lot of fun and I learnt a lot for 1 month of studying. I have learnt the fundamentals of reading and writing and I can hold a basic conversation on a range of topics. I would highly recommend the excellence centre for students like me, who have never studied Arabic before. The environment at the centre is bustling, with a lot of people from all over the world and lots to do. Everyone has been incredibly kind and welcoming. Alongside my Arabic course I have also been taken on tours to the old city of Hebron, AL Fawwar Refugee Camp as well as meeting some local artists. On the weekends I got the chance to visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jerrico, Ramallah and Nablus. My favourite trips has been to Jerrico to visit the dead sea and hike Wadi Qelt. I have also had the opportunity to live with two different local families who have been amazingly generous and have made me feel at home in Hebron. Living with local families has allowed me to practice and improve my Arabic every evening. I also join them for dinner in the evenings which has meant I have had the privilege of trying many local cuisines. Despite tensions in Palestine, I have always felt safe on trips with the Excellence Centre. Palestine has been a truly beautiful country to visit with amazing food and the kindest people. The people I have met here is what will stick with me the most. Their generosity and the stories they are happy to share has really amazed me and I am leaving Palestine much more informed on it’s history and current political situation.

I enrolled in a 4 week program the Excellence Center in Halle. I volunteered to teach English and learn German and I enjoyed my experience. I had the chance to meet so many people with different backgrounds, including refugees, German natives, and American volunteers, and listen to their stories and perspectives. The Excellence Center creates a very relaxed and friendly environment which is great for first-time tutors. If you want to improve your German language skills, this program is great for that since you have a lot of free-time to practice while exploring Halle and the rest of Germany.

I spent 2 weeks as a volunteer, with the intention to learn more about the Palestinian culture and struggle. I also wanted to learn some Arabic and contribute in any way I can. My experience was amazing and surreal. I was hosted by an very sweet family. The staff at the Excellence Centre are VERY supportive and it was refreshing to be with volunteers who are passionate about similar things. Through the centre I was able to safely open channels of communication with the local community in Palestine.

A unique experience full of knowledge and interesting people. People are welcoming from the very first day and surpisingly the situation around is not really affecting your daily life as a foreigner. Yet again you get to see things from both sides being as objective an observer as possible. For anyone who wants to either learn arabic, volunteer or even learn about the conflict and get a different perspective I highly recommend the Excellence Centre for a stay as quite all side needs - accomodation, some travel support and help from other volunteers are beeing taken care of.

Really a nice program. Teachers good. You are provided with textbooks - but the teachers are very flexible about that. Everybody in the center are very kind and helpful. You will meet a lot of students from UK, EU, US and Australia. Accomodation is good and together with other students. There will be excurtions with the center and the other students around Hebron. In the weekends it is possible to discover the hole Palestine by yourself or with the other students. Palestine and Israel is a very interesting place full of history.