King’s College London Language Centre (KCL) has amended a potentially misleading and inaccurate description of a modern Hebrew language course published on the university’s website.

The course description originally stated that Hebrew was spoken in “ancient Palestine” and suggested that Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language from the 3rd century BC, becoming solely religious and literary. UKLFI wrote to the President and Vice-Chancellor of KCL to explain that this terminology was historically inaccurate and risked misleading students and the wider public.

UKLFI highlighted that the term “Palestine” was not used to describe the relevant region during the ancient period when Hebrew was a living spoken language and that retroactively applying the label “ancient Palestine” imposed a later political designation on an earlier historical context.

UKLFI also raised concerns that such language, particularly in the current highly charged political environment, could be perceived as insensitive to Jewish and Israeli students and could contribute to the erasure of Jewish historical connections to the land in which the Hebrew language developed.

UKLFI also pointed out that the existing description was inappropriate in focusing primarily on Hebrew as an ancient language and should be rewritten to reflect the modern, living language being taught on the course.

KCL has now confirmed that the course description has been amended and acknowledged miscommunication regarding the nature of the course. The revised description focuses on Modern Hebrew as a contemporary language, its use in modern society, and its central place in Jewish communities and culture. The altered wording removes the reference to “ancient Palestine” and emphasises Hebrew’s role in modern Israel and around the world.

The description of the course also explains that “Hebrew is one of the world’s oldest languages and has an important place in Jewish communities” .

A UKLFI spokesperson said:

“We welcome KCL’s prompt decision to amend the course description. The revised wording appropriately reflects that the course concerns Modern Hebrew and avoids terminology that is liable to cause confusion or misunderstanding.

Universities have a responsibility to ensure that their published materials are historically accurate and appropriate to the subject being taught. In this case, the use of the term ‘ancient Palestine’ was both inaccurate and liable to be misinterpreted, particularly in the current political climate.”