Location
Multiple Locations +2
  • Palestine
  • Online
Length
4 to 13 weeks
Language
Arabic
Financial Support
General grants/scholarships

Program Details

Language Level
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Immersion Level
Intensive Standard
Specialized Courses
Business Medical Professional Specific Purposes Teaching
Class Size
Private Lessons Small Class (1-7) Medium Class (8-15)
Weekly Classroom Hours
30
Housing
Apartment Guesthouse Host Family Hostel
Age Min.
18

Pricing

Starting Price
450
Price Details
The program fees include: pre-departure support, accommodations with a host family, some meals, full coordination while volunteering in Palestine, and some visits to different sites in the city of Hebron.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Classes Some Meals
What's Not Included
Some Activities Airfare Some Meals
Jan 04, 2024
Mar 12, 2024
28 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Whatever your reason, if you’re interested in learning Arabic in the West Bank, our Study Arabic in Palestine language program is for you. With the options of super-intensive, intensive & non-intensive immersion Arabic programs in dialects such as Levantine (Shami/Ammiya), Palestinian colloquial Arabic & Modern Standard Arabic, the Excellence Center welcomes all guests seeking to learn this beautiful language.

Whether you are an undergraduate, graduate, professional or retiree our Arabic language programs are designed for you. Living and learning in the city of Hebron, our Arabic language lessons are for all levels of Arabic studies: first time learners, beginners, intermediate level speakers and advanced learners.

Our Arabic immersion classes span from one week to three months (13 Weeks) year-round (Summer, Winter, Fall, and Spring). Everyone at the Excellence Center is one big family. This environment creates a unique learning experience where our Arabic students feel at home.

Video and Photos

Impact

Ethical Impact

With all our Arabic courses and volunteer programs, we aim to make a long term difference for the Palestinian local community through the exchange of ideas and “walking in each other’s shoes”. Our programs and courses foster shared learning, for both our community and you. During your Arabic course, you will get to learn so much more than just the language. You will also get to learn a lot about Palestinian culture and customs and the political situation in Palestine. Additionally, you will have many opportunities while outside the classroom to practice your Arabic in a natural and authentic way while navigating your new life in Hebron. Your time with us in Hebron will also provide you with many opportunities of cultural exchange and mutual learning, both with local Palestinians as well as with our other international participants.

Program Highlights

  • Besides developing your Arabic language skills, students will experience various aspects of the Palestinian culture through their living arrangements with host families and various local trips as well as the Excellence Center’s in-house and local activiti
  • The Study Arabic Program in Palestine will give you the opportunity to live in and gain impressions from one of the most politically divisive and ambivalent regions of the Middle East.
  • The Intensive Arabic Courses offered in our programs: Modern Standard Arabic, Levantine (Shami) dialects, Ammiya, Classical and Palestinian Arabic using up-to-date teaching techniques in an intensive learning environment.
  • The Arabic Immersion Program will provide you the chance to visit unique tourist attractions with a particular native perspective – locations including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah, Jenin and the Dead Sea in Jericho.
  • Our center is staffed by well-qualified, attentive Arabic teachers, each with an excellent educational background, ready and happy to help you.

Popular Programs

Arabic

Study Arabic Online Program: In addition to our in-person programs held at the center, Engage in Palestine also offers online Arabic language classes in Modern Standard, Levantine (Shami) and Palestinian Arabic (Ammiya) . Depending upon your intended purpose for studying, each online Arabic program has its own advantages as colloquial variants are better suited for those simply travelling and conversing, whilst Modern Standard is ideal for those needing Arabic professionally.

Summer

The Summer Intensive Arabic Program offers a fantastic opportunity for individuals seeking an immersive Arabic course during the summer in various Middle Eastern regions such as the West Bank, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, or the broader Middle East. Renowned as one of the top Arabic language schools in Palestine, we provide exceptional Arabic language learning experiences.

Arabic

The Levantine Arabic Program offered by Volunteer in Palestine is a unique opportunity for anyone looking to expand their spoken Arabic to include the Levantine dialect, travel through the Levant, and immerse themselves in Levantine culture, history and politics. Fortunately, for those looking to study Arabic with us, we are located in the West Bank, Palestine, in the heart of the Levant, and in the busy and vibrant city of Hebron.

Related Programs

Program Reviews

4.86 Rating
based on 205 reviews
  • 5 rating 86.83%
  • 4 rating 12.68%
  • 3 rating 0.49%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Instruction 4.8
  • Support 4.85
  • Fun 4.7
  • Housing 4.55
  • Value 4.7
Showing 49 - 56 of 205 reviews
Default avatar
Hedviga
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Human Rights Program Review

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!!

Pros
  • Palestinian people
  • Kind staff
  • Local culture
Cons
  • Sometimes a little chaotic and very spontaneous
37 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Salam Hedviga,

We’re so happy to hear you had a great experience at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine. Your review made our day! Our whole team works very hard to keep our participants happy, but we can only do it thanks to amazing participants like you. Thanks again, and we hope to serve you again in Palestine soon.

With kind regards,
EC team

Default avatar
Xavier
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

two weeks intensive Arabic course

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

Pros
  • Housing provided by the Center
  • Excellent teaching
  • Experience Palestinian culture
Cons
  • Sometimes a little chaotic and very spontaneous
  • Lack of a defined structure in the teaching programme
40 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Salam Xavier,

We’re so happy to hear you had a great experience studying Arabic at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine. Your kind words encourage us to continue doing our best to make sure every student's experience is a memorable one.

Thanks again, and have a wonderful day.

Greetings from Palestine
EC team

Default avatar
Rene
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Arab intensive two weeks

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.

Pros
  • Excellent teaching and place for learning arabic well as for cultural visits in Hebron and in Palestine.
Cons
  • Sometimes a little chaotic and very spontaneous. But I liked it personally.
36 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Alhan Ya Rene,

We’re so happy to hear you had a great experience studying Arabic at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine. Your kind words encourage us to continue doing our best to make sure every student's experience is a memorable one.

كل الاحترام والتوفيق الك ريني الرائع

Thanks again, and have a wonderful day.

Greetings from Palestine
EC team

Default avatar
Hattie
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Arabic Intensive 1 month

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.

Pros
  • The Arabic Lessons
  • The incredibly friendly Palestinian people
  • Welcoming community
Cons
  • Accomodation a little bit far from each other - difficult to socialise
44 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Dear Hattie,

We’re so happy to hear you had a great experience studying Arabic at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine. Your kind words encourage us to continue doing our best to make sure every student's experience is a memorable one.

Thanks again, and have a wonderful day.

Greetings from Palestine
EC team

Default avatar
Georgios
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Study Arabic Hebron Review

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.

Pros
  • Location
  • History of the place
  • Local culture
Cons
  • Situation in the place
42 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Dear Georgios,

it’s always amazing to hear that we’ve been successful in our goal of providing our Arabic students with the best possible experience in Palestine. Thank you for giving us the chance to teach you Palestinian Arabic.

We wish you all the best and hope to meet you in Palestine in the future

With kind regards,
The Excellence Center in Palestine team

Default avatar
Thomas
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Intensive arabic

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.

Pros
  • Intensive
  • Friendly environment
  • Interesting country
Cons
  • Difficulties of travelling due to security
42 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Salam Thomas,

Just wanted to let you know how much your review means to us here at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine. We do all we can to provide our students with the best service, and it always makes our day when a student appreciates it. Thanks again, and we hope to make your next visit just as positive. Have an amazing day!

From everyone at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine

Default avatar
Lizzie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Study Arabic Hebron Review

The intensive arabic teaching excellent and you have to be prepared to put a lot in if you really want to make the most of your time. You need to follow up the classes with independant study. The standard of teaching is very high and personalised to your needs which is brilliant. There is also so much to learn about the situation here and the Centre are great at arranging trips. I also really enjoyed meeting and mixing with other students and colleagues on the human rights and teaching English programmes and sharing our awareness and experiences. It's been a really special time and I do hope to return . I would recommend the Center as a great place to learn Arabic and to get to know Hebron and someof the extraordinary people here who work peacefully and with creativity in spite of the huge challenges of living under the occupation.

Pros
  • Excellent teaching
  • meeting amazing people and picking olives with families!
  • becoming more aware of the situation in Palestine and especially Hebron
Cons
  • It is a bit hard to get to know how things work re food/ customs etc at first
  • due to the situation there are few green spaces to relax
39 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Salam Lizzie,

We’re so happy to hear you had a great experience in studying Arabic at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine. Your review made our day! Our whole team works very hard to keep our participants happy, but we can only do it thanks to amazing students like you. Thanks again, and we hope to see you again in Palestine soon.

منشوفك في فلسطين كمان مرة يا ليزا ان شاء الله

With kind regards,
The Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine team

Default avatar
Omar
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Intensive Arabic

I went on many excursions to various places around and outside of Al Khalil. Including a cutting edge art workshop the only of its kind in Al Khalil as well as a trip to Masafer Yatta where we spoke to local residents.
I was doing the intensive Arabic course. Aided by my brilliant teacher I was able to make considerable progress in my Arabic, improving all facets including reading, speaking and writing. My teacher also prepared immersive lessons where we visited different shops and cafes so I was able to practise my arabic with locals. This helped to boost my confidence and make the learning process more exciting.
The staff at the excellence centre have managed to cultivate a very warm and inviting environment where a lot of concerns someone may hold when travelling to Al khalil are quickly dispensed on arrival as volunteers are instantly put at ease and made to feel at home.

The excellence centre is a great environment because it attracts an interesting mix of volunteers and students, who come from all other the world for a multitude of reasons, be that to improve their Arabic, to explore Palestinian culture, or to learn more about the political situation in the region.
There’s lots I have loved about Palestine. I loved the food, the array of cosy coffee shops but most of all I loved the people I met here. From the people at the centre to people I met on the streets. Most people were friendly and hospitable and some exhibited incredible kindness and warmth.
Despite the complex political situation that overshadows the region it manages to sustain a vibrant culture and the people here exhibit an incredible spirit and willingness to entertain foreigners and make them feel welcome.
Overall experience has been incredibly positive. The cultural excursions along with the quality of teaching and the environment at the centre have made for an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for a long time.

45 people found this review helpful.
Response from The Excellence Center

Salam Habibi Omar,

Thank you so much for posting your review, we are very glad that you enjoyed your Intensive Arabic course at the Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine.

We wish you all the best and hope to meet you in Palestine 🇵🇸 in the future.

With kind regards,

Questions & Answers