Shmuel Refael-Vivante is Dean of the Faculty for Jewish Studies and the Director of the Salti Institute for Ladino Studies at Bar-Ilan University.

Prof. Refael is a playwright, poet and translator; he engages in Ladino studies; a Researcher and documenter in the field of the Holocaust of the Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jews.

His main subject of interest is Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) literature, language, ritual life ,and culture.

Since the early days of my university studies, he has sought to delve into the Judeo-Spanish culture of Ladino-speakers. Completed B.A. studies in Hebrew literature and general philosophy at Tel Aviv University, and began M.A. studies at Tel Aviv University and completed them at Bar Ilan University. In his M.A. thesis he laid the groundwork for the study of Judeo-Spanish romance literature. His Ph.D. thesis focused on the study of the Romancero Poetry of Salonican Jewry, on the background of its Spanish roots. The advisors for the Ph.D. dissertation were Prof. Judith Dishon and Prof. Edwin Seroussi.