About Us

About EKS Publishing

EKS Publishing was born from one woman's desire to learn Biblical Hebrew. In 1976, Ethelyn Kaplan Simon (EKS) left the company she had founded and then managed for thirty years. After retiring, she decided to devote herself to learning Hebrew. Despite studying with several educators and rabbis, Mrs. Simon quickly became frustrated by the fact that most Hebrew learning materials were designed either for children or for advanced students. Unable to find materials appropriate for the adult beginner, Mrs. Simon decided to create a book that would be accessible to anyone regardless of age or experience. In this book - which would become THE FIRST HEBREW PRIMER - she emphasized simplicity, replacing traditional linguistic jargon with familiar, descriptive terms. Believing that learning a language should be, above all else, fun, she designed THE FIRST HEBREW PRIMER to be easy-to-read and light-hearted, setting an example for all of the EKS products to follow.

In 1997, Mrs. Simon decided to retire again, turning over the company reins - along with her vision - to one of her students. Although our staff and product line have grown, we remain faithful to Mrs. Simon's original goals. All EKS products strive to provide clear, concise, and easily accessible knowledge. Our goal is to make learning an enjoyable and rewarding experience for students of all ages. So whether you are an adult with no previous Hebrew knowledge, an educator or eager parent wanting to introduce the beauty and power of the Bible to a child, EKS has the tools and books to help you succeed.