The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has launched the world's first Ladino ulpan, a two-and-a-half-week intensive language program for students to learn the Judeo-Spanish language of the Sephardic Jews. The program offered academic credit and included language classes, archive use, research tools, and studies in Sephardic culture. Ladino, a diasporic language originating in Medieval Spain, is spoken by elderly native speakers in Turkey, Israel, France, and elsewhere. The language has seen a decline due to historical factors, including the Holocaust and the focus on modern Hebrew in Israel. The Ladino ulpan aims to preserve and revive the language.