From: joel@wam.umd.edu (Joel M. Hoffman)
Subject: Re: Typesetting Hebrew, how?  Not in FAQ.
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1993 23:07:49 GMT

In article <SQUASH.93Jan18132520@poincare.math.ufl.edu> squash@math.ufl.edu (Jonathan King) writes:
>Hello.  Is there available a public-domain TeX macro package for typesetting
>paragraphs in Hebrew?  Is there a public-domain Hebrew font?
>Thank you.	Jonathan	squash@math.ufl.edu

Here's the way it works:  To typeset Hebrew in paragraphs, you need a
modified version of TeX.  That is, you actually have to modify the
source code.  The modified version is called TeX--XeT, and is fully
backward compatible with TeX, but includes commands for right-to-left
text.  If you can get this version, or if you care to compile it from
the sources (not too hard --- write me if you want help), then you can
typeset Hebrew in paragraphs.  Otherwise, you have to choose the
linebreaks yourself, but you can still typeset Hebrew.  Either way,
here's what you'll need:

1.  Some way to enter Hebrew.  I have macro packages available for GNU
Emacs that let you Enter Hebrew right-to-left.  You'll also want a
Hebrew screen font, which I have made available for DOS.  So, the
easiest way to enter the Hebrew is either to run DEMACS on DOS with my
font, or to use kermit on a DOS machine to login (via an 8bit clean
connection) to Unix, and use GNU Emacs on the Unix host.  You can also
use Linux (Unix close for PC's), for which I have made my Hebrew font
available, and which runs GNU Emacs.  Another option is X window,
about which I know nothing.  Finally, if you're running DOS, and don't
have DEMACS, you can use my Ibelbe program, which gives you the
ability to edit text files bidirectionally in both Hebrew and English.
But it's a lousy program.  Get DEMACS instead.

2.  If you're using TeX--XeT, you need to convert the Hebrew from
``screen order'' to ``time order.'' Here's what that means:  When you
see the Hebrew on the screen, the left-most words in a line are
actually the last words you read.  That's convenient for reading.
However, TeX needs everything in the order it is to be read, so it can
create paragraphs correctly.  I have made a simple filter (in C,
compiles under GCC and TC) that converts the file Emacs creates into
the format that TeX--XeT wants.  It also optionally inserts
font-changing commands into the file.  If you're using plain TeX, this
isn't an issue because you have to format the text yourself.

3.  You need Hebrew fonts.  There are several available.  There are
four fonts from Israel, called Jerusalem, DeadSea, Yaffo and TelAviv.
Jerusalem is a beautiful modern font, and DeadSea is a nice classical
font.  Don't use Yaffo.  None of the fonts contains vowels.  I have
two fonts available, HClassic and HCaption, both of which contain
vowels.  The former is a modernized classical Hebrew font, and the
latter is designed to be used in captions with HClassic.  To use the
vowels you need macros in TeX, which I have also made available.  I
have never tried using those macros with TeX--XeT to typeset whole
paragraphs with Hebrew, but it should work.

I think that's it.  If you have any further questions, please let me
know.

-Joel
(joel@wam.umd.edu)