Institute for Yiddish Education Uses Centra's Live eLearning Software to Teach Yiddish Language and Culture to Students Over the Internet.

Business/Technology Editors

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2001

Centra (NASDAQ:CTRA), the world's leading provider of software and ASP services for live eLearning and business collaboration, today announced that The Dora Teitelboim Institute for Yiddish Education, an organization committed to advancing Yiddish culture through translating the works of Yiddish writers, as well as Yiddish educational and cultural programming, has selected Centra to power their organization's Internet-based educational program. Through the use of Centra's live, interactive eLearning software, students from around the world will be able to learn the Yiddish alphabet, grammar and conversation, as well as Yiddish songs, poetry and literature over the Internet.

According to David Weintraub, Executive Director of the Dora Teitelboim Institute for Yiddish Education, "In the Holocaust, many Yiddish speaking Jewish people perished and those that survived, immigrated to other countries and assimilated in to their new communities and cultures. Fortunately, over the past few years, there has been a renewed appreciation for Yiddish culture and education. With Centra, The Dora Teitelboim Institute is working to create an online environment that enables real-time interaction between student and teacher that is crucial when teaching languages. Yiddish language and culture has a past and a present - with Centra, we are working to create a strong and vibrant future."

Using Centra's Web-based software for real-time collaboration, The Dora Teitelboim Institute is also planning to establish a mentor program. This will involve pairing Jewish senior citizens, who speak and write in Yiddish, with today's younger generation of students over the Internet for conversation and instruction on Yiddish culture.

The self-service nature of the CentraNow eMeeting(TM) ASP service enables individuals and teams to collaborate online -at home, in the office, or on the road - over low-bandwidth connections and across firewalls, giving customers a substantial competitive advantage through the acceleration of effective business communications. Centra eMeeting runs in a Web browser using thin client technology, without plug-ins or software to install. The intuitive user interface has no pop-up windows or tabs to manage, eliminating the need to train first-time users. CentraNow's self-service meeting capabilities lets any user quickly schedule a meeting and upload content.

Participants join virtual meetings quickly through a Web link in their email meeting notification or from a link on their personal CentraNow home page. In addition to integrated voice-over-IP, live application sharing support for multiple presenters and meeting choreography, users can take advantage of familiar controls for hand raising, instant yes/no responses, PowerPoint(R) mark-up, Web touring, and real-time surveys and polling to maximize meeting interactivity.

"The relationship between Centra and The Dora Teitelboim Institute for Yiddish Education illustrates Centra's commitment to education," said Tony Mark, President and COO of Centra. "Connecting different generations to encourage cultural education and enrichment is another example of how eLearning goes beyond corporate training to ensure the appreciation of history."

About The Dora Teitelboim Institute for Yiddish Education

Dora Teitelboim, one of the most dramatic Yiddish poets in this century, was committed to advancing Yiddish culture through her published writings and International lectures. The Dora Teitelboim Center is dedicated to carrying on its namesake's legacy through translating the works of Yiddish writers, scholars and poets the world over, running Yiddish education and cultural programming and promoting a new generation of emerging writers and artists. For more information, visit http://www.yiddishculture.org/

About Centra

With over a million users, Centra is the world's leading provider of software infrastructure and ASP services for live eLearning and business collaboration. Today hundreds of global organizations have standardized on Centra for the delivery of live eLearning, including American Express, Domino's Pizza, ExxonMobil, Siemens, Nationwide Insurance, Procter & Gamble, and Stanford University. Centra supports a vital ecosystem of strategic eLearning partnerships, which include alliances with Microsoft, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cisco, Oracle, Saba and Global Knowledge. Headquartered in Boston's technology corridor, the Company has sales offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.centra.com.

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