Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
22 April 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied
Bethany Case
Bethany Case received the prestigious Senate Medal during the April Graduation ceremonies. She completed the Bachelor of Arts Honours and plans to continue creating free resources for beginner and intermediate Hebrew students to improve their comprehension and reading fluency.

An international student and linguist from Michigan in the United States, Bethany Case, received the highest mark in an honours class throughout the university and was awarded the Senate Medal for this achievement during the University of the Free State’s (UFS) April graduation ceremonies.  

Case, who is now living in Mexico with her husband and daughter, completed the Bachelor of Arts Honours with specialisation in Hebrew in the Department of Hebrew in the Faculty of the Humanities. “I am honoured by this recognition; I did not expect any award,” she says.

Internalise the language for lifelong study and enjoyment

With an interest in supporting the work of Bible translation that is still ongoing around the world, Case decided to pursue studies in this specific field. She wanted to specifically support the translation of the Hebrew Bible, since there are fewer available translations of this than for the Greek New Testament. 

Her study in Biblical Hebrew focuses on the grammar of the Hebrew language as found in the text of the Hebrew Bible. “This includes historical reconstructions of its ancient forms, existing manuscripts, critical apparatus for studying the variants, and the poetic devices used in Hebrew poetry,” says Case, who also enjoys reading portions of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls.

With Hebrew being a difficult language to study and master, Case seeks that more students would learn to love Biblical Hebrew through a joyful learning experience rather than feeling intimidated and discouraged by its complexities. 

“My desire is that anyone who wants to learn to read the Bible in its original language will have a chance to do so, even if they don't have money for classes or textbooks. I want those who struggle to learn languages from a grammar-translation textbook model to have a chance to learn Hebrew through a more dynamic audio-visual pedagogy, and for Hebrew students to be able to internalise the language for lifelong study and enjoyment and not forget their Hebrew shortly after graduation,” she says.

Learning through the Aleph with Beth YouTube channel

In order to teach others Biblical Hebrew, Case has created the Aleph with Beth YouTube channel. This lively and informative resource has more than 69 000 subscribers and is grammatically accurate to the biblical text. According to Prof Cynthia Miller-Naudé, Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Hebrew, her work with the 170 videos on YouTube has been praised in academic journals such as Hebrew Higher Education as a free, online resource that provides excellent and high quality videos for learning Hebrew.   
My goal is that more students would learn to love Biblical Hebrew through a joyful learning experience rather than feeling intimidated and discouraged by its complexities. – Bethany Case

According to Prof Miller-Naudé, two of the guiding principles of the Department of Hebrew are to make Hebrew accessible to everyone, regardless of their language background, and to gain insight into the world of the Old Testament through knowledge of Hebrew. “Case has not only excelled in mastering Hebrew, but she also embodies the ethos of the department in her commitment to making Hebrew accessible to everyone. The department is proud of her extraordinary achievement in teaching Hebrew, and her embodiment of our principles that Hebrew can be enjoyable for everyone to learn. We look forward to her bright future as a teacher and scholar of Biblical Hebrew.”
 
Catching the important details that really counts

Concurring with Prof Miller-Naudé is Dr Kevin Chau, Case’s biggest motivator and her BA Honours instructor, who taught all her modules and supervised her mini-dissertation. He also believes that Case has a bright future ahead as a Hebrew scholar. 

“Case also catches the important details. While academia is concerned with details, it is catching the important details that really counts. Over and over in class, she demonstrated this valuable ability that separates exceptional scholarship from the pedestrian,” he adds. 

Case says that, together with her husband, she plans to continue working on the Aleph with Beth video lesson series and provide a free, effective, and enjoyable way for students all around the world to learn the basics of Biblical Hebrew grammar so that they can learn to read the Hebrew Bible in its original language.

News Archive

SA and Indonesia strengthen educational ties
2016-05-19

Description: Embassy of Indonesia  Tags: Embassy of Indonesia

From the left were Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor at the Department of Political Studies and Governance; Professor Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, Research Professor of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences; Suprapto Martosetomo, ambassador of the Embassy of Indonesia to South Africa; and Prof Theodor Neethling, Head of the Department of Political Studies and Governance.
Photo: Johan Roux

“Indonesia and South Africa share one common trait which is diversity,” were the opening remarks of Suprapto Martosetomo, ambassador of the Embassy of Indonesia to South Africa. The ambassador drew parallels between the two republics at a public lecture hosted by the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State Bloemfontein Campus on 10 May 2016.

Professor Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, Research Professor in the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, presented the lecture on “Managing Political Diversities: The Indonesian Experience.” He outlined the history of Indonesia’s political and economic development, political system, and government’s policy in dealing with political and economic challenges, as well as the lessons learned from its experience.

Diversity and governance
As is South Africa, Indonesia is a ‘rainbow nation’. Being the largest country in the Southeast Asia, it boasts a population of approximately 250 million people, 300 ethnic groups, and 650 local languages. However, despite such diversity, the nation has been united behind the motto of “unity in diversity”, which was adopted when Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945.

Indonesia and SA also bear similarities in terms of a multiparty parliamentary system. Their current Joko Widodo and our Jacob Zuma administrations are governed by policies including anti-corruption, economic prosperity, equity and equality, quality education and healthcare, and maintenance of security.

International relations
The two countries have a long-standing relationship since 1955 when the Asia-Africa conference was held in Bandung, Indonesia. The conference represented solidarity against colonisation.

Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor at the UFS Department of Political Studies and Governance, attributes Indonesia’s success as a product of education and leadership - something South Africa could learn from..“Indonesia like SA has been struggling with how to balance social diversity, democracy, and a political system. Despite this, they have managed to develop a functioning democracy and a vibrant economy. They are one of the top 20 economies in the world, and by the year 2035 will be in the top seven economies in the world, according to the Goldman Sachs, report,” he said.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept