ITHL - The Israeli Institute for Hebrew Literature

ITHL - The Israeli Institute for Hebrew Literature Bringing the best of Hebrew literature to readers worldwide since 1962. Israel’s only non profit dedicated to this mission.

The Israeli Institute for Hebrew Literature - IIHL (formerly known as ITHL - The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature) was founded in 1962 to acquaint foreign readers with the best of modern Hebrew literature. Over the years, the range of its activities has expanded far beyond translation. Concurrently, and largely in response to the work of IIHL, international interest in Hebrew lit

erature has grown significantly. At present, Hebrew literature is published around the world in almost 100 languages.

Catch the recording of our first Book Club with authors Tehila Hakimi and Joshua Cohen, moderated by Jamie Denbo. Link i...
12/06/2026

Catch the recording of our first Book Club with authors Tehila Hakimi and Joshua Cohen, moderated by Jamie Denbo. Link in comments 👇

11/06/2026

SOUND ON 🔉
Meet the ITHL team 📚

How do you translate Yona Wallach? (And why it is nearly impossible)June 10th marks the birthday of Yona Wallach, the wo...
10/06/2026

How do you translate Yona Wallach? (And why it is nearly impossible)

June 10th marks the birthday of Yona Wallach, the woman who dismantled Hebrew and put it back together, daring, dirty, defamiliarized and beautiful. But while she’s a cultural icon in Israel, abroad Wallach remains almost anonymous.

Translators and scholars describe working on her poems as trying to “capture lightning in a bottle.”

One example says it all: when attempting to translate her infamous poem “Tefillin,” the translators hit a wall. In Hebrew, the word carries heavy meanings and associations relating to religion and masculinity. In English? The word “Phylacteries” has an academic almost dry tone, that sounds more like a term in archaeology than a word that may evoke unlikely pairings such as eroticism and Jewish piety.

Wallach made Hebrew fluid, fused raw sensuality with biblical syntax, and even altered the gender of God. But in translation, she often sounds too “polite.” Her linguistic audacity can come across as a grammatical error rather than poetic genius.

Significant efforts have been made to bring Wallach’s poetry to the world, among them the wonderful collection “Wild Light” (translated by Linda Zisquit), which gave English readers a first true chance to touch Wallach’s fire.

Ultimately, translation is the only way for Wallac’s fire to wander the world, even if the original language tries it’s best to hold onto it.

Sources & Further Reading:
Official Catalog: ITHL – Yona Wallach
The Challenge: Chana Kronfeld, “The Full Severity of Compassion”
The Bio: Lily Ratok, “Angel of Fire”

Photography by Aza Tzvi

What remains human in the age of Autocorrect?In an era where technology mediates, corrects, and shapes our expressions, ...
09/06/2026

What remains human in the age of Autocorrect?

In an era where technology mediates, corrects, and shapes our expressions, where is the space for the raw and the unedited?

We are honored to host an upcoming conversation in the ״Book Club by ITHL״ featuring the brilliant Jamie Denbo and renowned author Etgar Keret. They will be diving deep into Keret’s latest work, ״Autocorrect״, exploring the tension between our digital reality and the irreducible nature of human experience.

Join us for a dialogue on memory, storytelling, and the beautiful imperfections that define us.

📅 July 9
📍 FREE ZOOM EVENT
Reserve your spot via the link in our bio 👆

Calling all Etgar Keret fans! The ITHL (The Institute for Hebrew Literature) International Book Club invites you to a on...
07/06/2026

Calling all Etgar Keret fans! The ITHL (The Institute for Hebrew Literature)
International Book Club invites you to a one-of-a-kind event featuring a discussion on his recent collection of stories, “Autocorrect.”

On Thursday, July 9, join us to hear directly from Keret and connect with a global community of literature enthusiasts.

Registration is now open! Secure your spot today by visiting our website👇

 Photography by Lielle Sand

04/06/2026

Jonathan Strum described our book club better than any of us could:

“It has been a difficult few years for the Jewish community. The book club provides an opportunity to take a break, decompress, re-energize and engage.

No requirement to come every time or to read every book. But come for a chance to connect with the larger Jewish community outside of your own circle.”

We invite you to join this complimentary Zoom event.
Final spaces are now available >>

Link in the first comment 🔗

Join Jamie Denbo, actress, writer, and host, in a live Zoom conversation with Joshua Cohen (Pulitzer Prize winner) and T...
03/06/2026

Join Jamie Denbo, actress, writer, and host, in a live Zoom conversation with Joshua Cohen (Pulitzer Prize winner) and Tehila Hakimi (JBC Award-winning author) about what it means to be an Israeli in America — in literature and in life.

Coming to America | Book Club by ITHL 📅 Sunday, June 7 | 9:00 AM PT · 12:00 PM EST · 7:00 PM Tel Aviv 💻 Free · Live on Zoom
👉 Register now

This Sunday. Final call to join authors Tehila Hakimi and Joshua Cohen in conversation with Jamie Denbo. We’re looking f...
03/06/2026

This Sunday. Final call to join authors Tehila Hakimi and Joshua Cohen in conversation with Jamie Denbo. We’re looking forward to seeing you there 🫶

https://ithlbookclub.live

A glimpse into the Israeli presence at the Book World Prague international book fair this week: The Israeli pavilion, pr...
01/06/2026

A glimpse into the Israeli presence at the Book World Prague international book fair this week: The Israeli pavilion, presented by the Embassy of Israel in Prague with content curation and guidance from the Institute, showcases a broad selection of contemporary Israeli literature in our latest catalogs. We are pleased by the strong interest shown by the local audience and are proud to help bring these voices to the international stage.

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