The department encourages its students, graduates and faculty members to combine academic excellence with creative writing of poetry, prose and plays. The prestigious literary prizes and critical acclaim won by many of our teachers and students are a tremendous source of joy and pride. The Bachelor of Arts program includes a creative writing workshop led by the Israeli writer and poet Miron H. Izakson. "Massei", a journal edited by our graduate students, provides a forum for student writing and is open to submissions from inside and outside the department. Organized readings and literary events are held in conjunction with local literary magazines.
Organization profile
Organization profile
The Department for Literature of the Jewish People (ספרות עם ישראל - ספרות עברית וספרויות בלשונות היהודים) invites you to embark on a journey to the cultural roots of the Jewish people. Come learn about the spiritual and cultural riches of Hebrew literature, from ancient Hebrew texts to contemporary Israeli writing. Our program of study traces the historical sweep of Hebrew literature over the ages, accentuating the dialogue between texts from different periods. Our research tracks offer a range of specialization options from modern Hebrew literature, Hasidic lore, Jewish literature of the Middle Ages and Hebrew literature in antiquity to thematology (researching Hebrew prose using a sequential approach). At the same time, the links and associations between Hebrew and world literature will be explored, with close attention to the inner voices that nourish Hebrew literature today. Come meet Hebrew literature’s two siblings – Yiddish and Ladino – and attend language classes that will enable you to read literary and scholarly texts in preparation for literary and cultural research.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Profiles
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Ilil Baum
- Bar-Ilan University - Faculty of Jewish Studies, Department for Hebrew Literature and the Literature of Jewish Languages - Senior Lecturer
Person: Academic
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Daniel Birnbaum
- Bar-Ilan University - Faculty of Jewish Studies, Department for Hebrew Literature and the Literature of Jewish Languages - Teaching Associate
Person: Teaching
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MiDRASH: MiDRASH: Migrations of Textual and Scribal Traditions via Large-Scale Computational Analysis of Medieval Manuscripts in Hebrew Script
Shmidman, A. (PI), Stoekl, D. (PI), Dershowitz, N. (PI) & Olszowy-Schlanger, J. (PI)
1/10/23 → 30/09/29
Project: Research
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Israeli Russian-Language Literature
Katsman, R. (PI), Surin, A. (CoI) & Promyshlianski, E. (CoI)
1/01/15 → …
Project: Research
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A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF LADINO HALAKHIC LITERATURE: FROM CLASSICAL JEWISH LAW TO MODERN PRACTICE
Cohen, D., Jan 2026, In: Revue des Etudes Juives. 185, 1-2, p. 131-170 40 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Eventos en Israel y en Espana: con motivo de la incorporación de la La Akademia Nasionala del Ladino de Israel a la Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (ASALE)
Refael, S. (Editor) & Schwarzwald, O. (Editor), 2026, Israel: La Akademia Nasionala del Ladino de Israel. 100 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) in Israel in a Multilingual Society
Schwarzwald, O., 1 Jan 2026, Multilingual Israel?: Old Ideologies and New Realities. Channel View Publications, p. 248-262 15 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Datasets
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MiDRASH Automatic Transcriptions of the Cairo Geniza Fragments
Stoekl, D. (Creator), Shmidman, A. (Creator), Dershowitz, N. (Creator), Olszowy-Schlanger, J. (Creator) & et al. (Creator), MiDRASH, ERC-Synergy Project No. 101071829, 25 Nov 2025
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17734472, https://genizahsearch.com/
Dataset
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Book Catalog of Israeli Russian-Language Literature
Katsman, R. V. (Creator) & Surin, A. (Creator), Boston, MA: Academic Studies Press, 6 Apr 2026
https://sites.biu.ac.il/en/israeli-russian-language-literature/page/2856
Dataset
Prizes
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פרס ס' יזהר לחקר הספרות העברית והוראתה
ליפסקר, א. (Recipient) & אלבק-גידרון, ר. (Recipient), 2017
Prize
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Activities
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מפעל הפיס (External organization)
טוהר, ו. (Member)
2026 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of council
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האקדמיה ללשון העברית (External organization)
שמידמן, א. (Member)
2026 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of organization
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מכון שוקן למחקר היהדות (External organization)
טוהר, ו. (Member)
2026 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
Press/Media
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Press Coverage of Avi Shmidman's 2025 lecture at the Academy of the Hebrew Language
27/03/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media
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Student theses
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Abraham Danon and his Historiographic Writings: A Study of the Ladino Periodical “Yoseph Da’at” (“El Progreso”)
Cohen, N. B. (Author), Cohen, D. (Supervisor), 27 Nov 2023Student thesis: MA Thesis
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Adultery as Principal: Adultery as a Poetical and Critical Concept in the Writings of Emunah Elon
Kor, M. (Author), Goultschin, M. (Supervisor) & Wolf-Monzon, T. (Supervisor), 17 Oct 2017Student thesis: MA Thesis
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Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Midrashic Traditions regaing the Creation of the Plants, the Heavenly Bodies the Animals Portrayed within Early Hebrew Liturgical Poetry
Mashiach, O. (Author), Shmidman, A. (Supervisor), 10 Oct 2013Student thesis: MA Thesis
Research units
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Salti Institute for Ladino Studies
Department for Hebrew Literature and the Literature of Jewish Languages
Organizational unit: Center