Five Tips For Ulpan Gordon (Plus Updated Contact Information)
UPDATE:
November 26th, 2008
I’ve started a new website dedicated only to Ulpan Gordon in Tel Aviv, Israel! If you’re looking for more information or want to share info about Ulpan Gordon, visit the site here.
Right now, the Education Ministry in Israel is attempting to shut down most of the ulpans across the country. It’s rumored that Gordon will stay active. See the article in Haaretz here for more information as to why they’re closing.
Gordon is starting to see an influx of students who are commuting into Tel Aviv because of the closures and therefore, I believe, the school should be providing clearer information about the school. Unfortunately, most of the information online is outdated.
Here is the most recent and accurate contact information:
Ulpan Gordon
7 Lasalle St, Tel Aviv 63409
Telephone: 03-5223095, Fax 03-5242884
ulpan.gordon@012.net.il
hadas.goren@012.net.il
The pamphlets provided by the school haved not been updated to reflect a change in the classes. Gordon has added a course of study designed for tourists or non-immigrants. All of the intensive classes currently offered are listed below:
Tourists/Non-Immigrant/Olim Wanting Short Study Grade A (aleph) (The class I’m currently enrolled.)
3 months, 4 days a week (Monday-Thursday)
9:00 am - 12:50 pm
Cost: 2100 shekel (Approximately $580 USD)
5 months, 5 days a week (Sunday-Thursday)
8:15am-12:45 pm
Grade A & B (aleph & bet)
6 months, 5 days a week
17:00-20:15
Grade A (aleph)
Beginners class (Level A/aleph) start every month according to demand. Right now the demand is very high at Gordon because of other ulpans closing.
If you need more detailed information regarding the cost of the longer classes, don’t be shy to call the office directly. I don’t think they respond to emails quickly (if at all) so it’s best to just dial the phone. They may be a little gruff but will relay all the information you need to decide which course is best for you. Don’t forget to adjust for the Israeli time zone!
Five Tips When Starting Kita Aleph At Ulpan Gordon
1. Learn the Hebrew alphabet before you arrive!
Do yourself a favor and start the course with at least this knowledge in hand. Be sure to learn the block letters and handwritten (or cursive) forms. You’ll only learn how to write in the handwritten form but will also be expected to read the block form too. Two websites demonstrating block letters are here and cursive is here.
2. Sign up for your class at least one month in advance.
The ladies on the phone might tell you that you can show up a week before the class starts and walk right in. This is true, ordinarily. But are you willing to run the risk of showing up and not having a seat?
With the ulpan structure changing in Israel, the classes are filling up FAST. If you have a friend or family member in Israel, provide them with your passport and credit card number to enroll you in advance of your arrival. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for someone to drop out of the course. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to wait for someone to drop out. If you’re starting with little to no knowledge of Hebrew when you arrive, you’ll need to start from day one. Missing even a few days of class will put you deep into the clueless zone.
3. The book costs extra.
Yeah. It irked me too. After two weeks, we were expected to purchase a workbook for 65 shekel. Don’t let this come as a shock (like it did for me). Every teacher has their own workbook preference so I won’t bother listing the name of mine here. I do know that the ulpan will sell the workbook to you much cheaper than a bookstore will. Don’t mess around and just buy it from Gordon.
4. Be prepared to study.
Just showing up to class isn’t enough. It’s an intensive course. The key word is INTENSIVE. The three month course is essentially a condensed version of the five month class. If you want to stay afloat, you’re going to need to study. If you already know how to read Hebrew, then you’re a huge step ahead of a lot of students. If you don’t know how to read Hebrew or have never spoken Hebrew, be prepared to clock some after school hours. For some it’s a piece of cake. For others (like me) it takes a lot more effort.
5. 30 minute break starts at 10:00 am. Bring shekels for coffee!
This may be the most important tip of all. By the time you reach your 10:00 am break, you’ll be feigning for more caffeine. Strangely, no amount of caffeine prior to class is enough to prepare your mind for the first hour of class. You’ll inevitably need more. There are two automatic coffee machines in the first floor. One is two shekels and the other is three shekels per cup. I suggest taking wich ever line is shorter as I haven’t found much difference between the two machines.
Write to me via the contact link at the top of this site or write me at jami0821 at gmail dot com with any questions you may have.
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Comments
Question…my wife and I are very seriously considering making the move to Tel Aviv from Washington DC. We were told about Ulpan Gordon. can u offer any advice for us? Like where to live? is it possible to work adn do ulpan? or do we just have to take ulpan and pay rent from our savings? thing sof this nature. thanks,
Avi
Nice site! 
I just read your post about Ulpan Gordon, which I attended a couple of years ago as a (virtual) beginner. I think your five tips are very good ones and I would agree completely, especially about learning the alphabet beforehand and being prepared to study, study, study.
In reply to the comment above (if that’s OK?) by aviliss, here’s my (rather presumptuous as this is not my site…) take on your questions:
- Where to live depends entirely on your budget, and also on how religious you are. If you are religious then Tel Aviv might not be the place for you. Also, do you want to be near an English speaking community, or do you want more to integrate with the locals? Tel Aviv is a good place to live if you like fast-paced, fun cities with tons to do 24/7, if you like the beach, cafes, nightlife, people-watching and eating out then it’s perfect. Within Tel Aviv itself - well that depends on how much you can afford/ want to pay. The area close to the ulpan is expensive, central - and probably small in terms of apartment size. But worth it if you want to study and work.
- You can work and do ulpan. I did. It was really tough though - but mostly because I worked waaay out of Tel Aviv, it was summer, and I didn’t have a car. I don’t know what you do for a living but finding a “good” job here is tough, so be prepared for it to take time. Continuing on the presumptuous note, I’d advise that you could find a part time job - what I’d call a “student job” - pretty easily during the day, and then you can do Ulpan in the evenings.
-Don’t compromise on the ulpan. Without Hebrew - even basic Hebrew - you’ll miss out on a lot here including job prospects. Study like you never studied before and don’t miss a class. It’s tough. But it’s also fun, and you will definitely meet people.
- If you find the Ulpan is not enough, eventually - get yourself a private teacher. Hebrew is really worth learning.
- Good luck and congrats on making a courageous but amazing move
And again, hope it’s OK for me to leave such a looong comment 
@ yaeloush
Thank you for such an informative reply! Feel free to leave loooong comments all you want.
Welcome to my site! Heading over to check yours out now.
Hi there,
I am going to be traveling to Israel in February 2009. I am really interested in attending Ulpon Gordon. Do you have any advise on how I can arrange for a place to live while I attend classes? Is there a lot of housing near the ulpon? I realize it is still pretty early to start working all these details out, but I’d like to know of any resources that you may have found helpful when you were planning your trip.
Thanks!
Heidi
I will also be heading to Tel Aviv in February and attending Ulpan Gordon. What is the best way to find accomodation for at least 6 months near the ulpan?
@ Sara
You should start by searching online here: http://www.janglo.net/index.php/taanglo/
“Janglo” is for Jerusalem and “Tanglo” is for Tel Aviv.
There are lots of apartments being rented to “tourists” for short term use, and I think you’ll have better luck in February when it’s off tourist season.
If you need more than just Tanglo, then simply Google search “Tel Aviv apartments”. Several English language apartment sites will come up for you to search through.
Mazel Tov!
@ Sarah and hstein,
btw, Sarah, if you’re attending Gordon in February, you might be in the same class as another commenter from above, hstein! That would be really interesting!
Is the Ulpan Gordan in Tel Aviv open to non-jewish students also? I’d like to attend the ulpan before it is slated to close…Tuda Ravah!
@ Prof. Janda
Right now it’s still open for non-Jewish students. Although I believe they’re restricted to only the 3 month course.
I could be wrong about this but I was told when I attended Ulpan Gordon (from May-July), the aleph level course (level 1) was taught in 3 or 6 month blocks. Only the olim students (or new immigrants) were allowed to take the 6 month course. The remainder of us “tourists” could only take the 3 month course.
It sorta made sense in a way since the tourist visas are only 3 months long. And since only Jews can make aliya to Israel, then technically the 6 month course is only for Jews.
Again, this may not be entirely accurate as I didn’t get my information directly from the office. You’d be better of simply calling them directly at the number I’ve listed above.
Shana Tova!
I was actually interested in a less intensive ulpan course on the order of 2 weeks or a month at the very most because of my limited vacation time. Is there a preferred ulpan more suited for this shorter time period?
Shana Tova!
@ Prof. Janda.
Certainly there are shorter tern ulpan courses! But strangely enough, the shorter term ulpans are actually far more expensive than at Ulpan Gordon. Most of the shorter programs are run by the universities, which as I’m sure you’re aware, tend to have higher price tags.
Check out this website for a comprehensive list of ulpans: http://www.nbn.co.il/site/kb/questions/77/Ulpan+Directory
Scroll down to “Ulpanin in the Central Area” and look into Tel Aviv University. I think you can even request ulpan pamphlets in the mail from TAU on their website. Fair warning about the $$$ though!
Hi. I also am looking to move to Tel Aviv to attend Ulpan Gordon, but am clueless when it comes to housing. I looked at Taanglo, but it didn’t seem that much was available (anything inexpensive enough, at least). I’m just looking for a small 1 bedroom or studio to live in. Nothing big or luxurious. Can anyone recommend an area to live that is close to Ulpan Gordon and not super super expensive? Or a site? Thanks!
@Eli
hmmm… well, I think you would benefit more from someone who is looking to rent out a room in their apartment rather than having a place for yourself. That tends to get really expensive. Especially in Tel Aviv. Have you left a message yet on Tanglo? Just post something along the lines of “looking for a room to rent in TA” and see what sort of responses you get. I’ll ask one of my ulpan buddies how they managed to find rooms during their study. I’ll post the answer here if I get a reply.
@ Eli
Also, I’m not sure if you’ve checked out this site or not but the Craigslist for Tel Aviv is starting to gain popularity:
http://telaviv.craigslist.org/
Check out the ‘housing’ section.
I like the idea of you starting a topic about ulpan Gordon, I placed a link on the New in Israel Forum so that people can find you. There is also lots of information on starting your life in Israel on my site http://www.jou.jouwpagina.nl
Thanks Kiskillilla! I remember using your forum a lot when I was researching Israel. It was extremely helpful.
I’m currently in the process of launching the site ‘Ulpangordon.com’ (also redirected from ‘Ulpangordon.co.il’) to specifically help people who want to attend the school. While it will mostly focus on Gordon (since most other ulpans have since closed), I want to also give people information about housing and Tel Aviv life for the students. I’ll make an announcement here once it’s functioning.
New in Israel will be the first blog I link to from http://www.UlpanGordon.com!
Jami, I recently stumbled on your site and it’s chockablock of info. I am in Israel now (J-m at the moment), but after my 3 week volunteer stint in the IDF starting next week, I plan on setting up shop in TA. Do you know if Ulpangordon offers Aleph classes the beginning of the year? And how did you decide upon Gordon as the Ulpan to use? Are there mostly English speakers there or are there many French people (I would love to be able to continue learning French as well). Fyi, I had a prive lesson today that taught me the alphabet. Tnx much.
Keith
Hello,
I´ll make alyah on 2009 begining and afhter a master course. I was supose to do ulpan in Etzion, but they closed and now is Merkaz Klita Beit Canadá. Anywhay, i really wnat to live in Tel Aviv and my choose was because the everybody sayf that this ulpan that satay in Jersulem is the best prepatory for who wants master.
Someone knows if these ulpan or any other in Tel Aviv is good also for this?
Thank you!!!
Hey Jami, hope I’m not being a nuisance, but I wanted to throw something out there that may be helpful to others. I put an ad out on Craigslist for an apt and have gotten 3 responses. 2 of them are wonderful apartments, for < 4000 shekels, and both of the owners are ‘out of the country on a medical volunteer program’. One is anti-HIV, the other works for Hope Int’l. I don’t want to be untrusting, but at the same time, the NYer in me says one should be very cautious when being asked for a deposit by a stranger before they send you the keys.
@ Keith
I’m glad Craigslist is working for you! I’d really love to know more about how this process will pan out for you in the end. I was pretty lucky and didn’t need to hunt for a place on my own when I was there. But I know A LOT of people do and I’d like to know how it works out for you. Do I sense another great ulpangordon.com post courtesy of Keith? As a New Yorker, I’d trust it would be difficult for someone to take advantage of you. Are these people asking you to wire them money first? If they are overseas right now, who is making the arrangements in country? Is there a relative in Tel Aviv that is showing you the apartment? Lots of questions! Keep me udpated.
hi keith,
i’m a former NYer who moved to TLV, and yes, maybe it’s the new yorker in me, but I wouldn’t wire anyone cash before keys.
I’d come here a little before your Ulpan, stay at a hotel, and find a place.
Mommo on 
Skitz M. Jones on 
Acai Berry on 
i have recently succumbed to the vending machine coffee at school myself for that extra boost. (because i’m too lazy to go get espresso from the crazy cafe guy) they come in 50 and 75 cent increments, and ive discovered that the hazelnut cappuccino is not only the best, but they use the same ammount of powder for the small as the large, which makes the small ones tastier and cheaper. yay for vending machine coffee! may it forever keep us upright!