Write in Hebrew without a Hebrew keyboard

I am a Hebrew learner and one of the first problems I have came across was the inability to write in Hebrew in my laptop. Let's say we want to write a short essay, how do we do it?

The fastest way (works in all computers, all operative systems)

If you want a quick solution that works in any computer, use an online keyboard. For example, https://www.branah.com/hebrew works wonderfully. You can write there using your keyboard (you don't need to use the mouse but you can use it if you want) and then copy the text somewhere else.

The permanent solution (for Ubuntu)

For a permanent solution in Ubuntu, we are going to install Hebrew as a system language. This way we can use our physical keyboard with a different distribution to write Hebrew.

The first step is to open Language Support and click on "Install or remove languages...". Look for Hebrew, check and apply changes. Next, we also need to install its keyboard layout: open System Settings, go to keyboard Layout, click on the "+" symbol -> "Hebrew" -> Add.

 

If Hebrew is not there, this will be solved by installing this package. Open a terminal and type this command:

$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-keyboard-hebrew

Now we can change to Hebrew using the shortcut: super + space. Or using the language icon on the top Ubuntu bar.

In this same icon you can open a window with the keyboard distribution that might help you get use to the location of the keys:

On-screen keyboard

If you find too difficult to write on you keyboard you can use the on-screen keyboard that comes with ubuntu: Onboard (https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/onboard/). This is how Onboard looks when Hebrew is chosen:

Although there is a language selector, Hebrew is not going to be listed there, you need to change the language system to Hebrew so the onboard keyboard is displayed with the alefbet.
If you don't see the keyboard it might be hidden. Click on its icon on the menu panel and select "Show Onboard". The icon options also allow you to hide/show the on-screen keyboard when needed.

And we are finally ready to write in Hebrew, hooray!

I hope you find this post useful. For any issue, typo, judgemental or thankful thought, use the comments section. It's nice to have some feedback.