Database

The historic home of Nobel Prize–winning author S.Y. Agnon (1887–1970) in Jerusalem is a national heritage site, a center for cultural activity, and a literary museum.
Following the passing of Agnon and his wife Esther, the house was purchased by the Jerusalem Municipality and served for many years as a center for literature and culture. In the early 2000s, the house underwent renovation and preservation, and was reopened to the public in 2009. Today it hosts tours, workshops, courses, performances, lectures, exhibitions, and literary events.

Beit Ariela Library in Tel Aviv was founded in 1886 and is the largest public library in Israel.
The library serves as a municipal center of knowledge and culture, aiming to provide residents and visitors with free access to literature, culture, and information.
Its mission is to promote lifelong learning for people of all ages and to enrich local cultural life. In addition to being a center for encouraging reading, the library is a public space for study, conversation, and interpersonal encounters – a place of respite from daily obligations, where people meet and communities shape their identities.
Beit Ariela is considered a pioneer and a model for libraries in Israel and around the world, known for its openness and innovation. It combines rare, academic, and historical collections for documentation, research, and teaching, with general fiction and non-fiction for the wider public.
The library’s collections include around half a million printed books in various languages (Hebrew, English, French, and Russian), audiobooks, e-books, online databases in Hebrew and English across various fields, CDs, newspapers, journals, and major archives.

In the past decade, the library’s mission has been redefined. In addition to its role in collecting, preserving, and distributing information, it has also become a cultural center – a home for interpersonal, intellectual, and cultural interaction. It is a space that not only reflects the achievements of thought, science, and spiritual life, but also helps shape and influence them.

Beit Ariela features a variety of work and study spaces, an urban lounge, video studios, podcast studios, event halls, screening rooms, workshop spaces, and more.
The library employs a team of content and production professionals and hosts daily lectures, performances, writing workshops, educational tours, discussion evenings, and festivals for all ages – with the goal of actively cultivating a culture of reading, creativity, and knowledge.

The Gnazim Institute harbors the largest archive of Hebrew literary manuscripts in the world. It is preserved under special conditions and serves as a hub for researchers from Israel and abroad. The institute continually receives archival collections from writers and poets. 

The manuscripts are handled by professionals and volunteers and are kept in a dedicated area at Beit Ariela library in Tel Aviv. Archivists and volunteers prepare materials for scanning and transfer them to the National Library.
The Institute regularly publishes literary and poetic gems from the archive’s treasures in the press and online. It also holds exhibitions, and regularly offer tours of the archive where visitors can enjoy the treasures of literature in the writers’ own handwriting.

Mashiv HaRuach is a nonprofit organization that works to promote Jewish-Israeli culture and to bring together different sectors of Israeli society through poetry and culture.
Its goal is to serve as a platform for Hebrew poetry that is written from the Israeli here and now, and that engages with Jewish memory, heritage, and experience throughout history.
The organization publishes five issues a year of a journal for Jewish-Israeli poetry, as well as poetry books in the Silver Thread series and unique poetry anthologies.
Mashiv HaRuach organizes literary and cultural events across Israel that serve as a platform for poets from all parts of Israeli society, and it also runs community workshops and professional poetry-writing courses.

Mishkenot Sha’ananim is a cultural and hospitality center that serves as a creative hub for both local and international culture. It hosts conferences, exhibitions, concerts, and lectures. In addition to the cultural center, which is connected to leading creative hubs worldwide, a guesthouse operates within the first building constructed outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. It hosts artists, cultural figures, intellectuals, creators, thinkers, and academics from Israel and around the world.

Poetry Place (nonprofit organization since 2002) is a literary institute based in Jerusalem that produces a wide range of significant literary activities. These include the School for the Literary Arts – a two-year advanced program in creative writing – as well as literary journals, festivals, a publishing house, a literary award, performances, workshops, and a library. The breadth of these operations is unique, both in Israel and internationally. Poetry Place serves as an original model of a literary institute that takes full responsibility for the means of literary production for a broad spectrum of users: from student to teacher, from writer to reader, from amateur to professional. Since 2020, Poetry Place has operated a branch in Haifa.
Founders and directors: Dr. Gilad Meiri and Dr. Noa Shakargy.

The Center for Libraries and Literature in Israel is dedicated to advancing and nurturing libraries, librarianship, information sciences, and a culture of books and reading across the country. Operating as an independent body, the Center leads a wide range of initiatives in these core areas: literary programs that support writers, translators, and new literary creation; the promotion of Arabic children’s literature; the development of Israel’s professional and up-to-date national book catalog for libraries; cultural programming in libraries and professional training for librarians and information specialists; the operation of the Israeli Digital Library website; and the acquisition of books at discounted rates for school and public libraries.

The Hebrew Writers Association in Israel (Registered Association) was founded in 1921 and is one of Israel’s central cultural institutions. Among its founders were Haim Nachman Bialik and Shaul Tchernichovsky. Today, the Association is chaired by writer and poet Tzvika Nir. His deputies are writers Dr. Dorit Zilberman and Adiva Geffen, and board members include Eli Hirsh and Dr. Daria Maoz. Writer Nira Toval serves as the Association’s director. The Association numbers approximately 850 members – writers, poets, playwrights, editors, and literary scholars.

The Hebrew Writers Association organizes literary and social initiatives at Beit HaSofer in Tel Aviv and throughout Israel in cooperation with various municipalities and institutions. Nearly 100 literary events are held annually, attended not only by writers and poets but also by academics, literary scholars, actors, and musicians. The Association regularly holds writing workshops open to the general public, enrichment workshops for writers, workshops for young poets, and workshops for at-risk youth. It also organizes national writing competitions and other events. The Association identifies young poets and supports poetry reading events in various locations. The Committee for Foreign Relations, headed by Dr. Shlomit Lir, fosters ties with writers around the world.

The Helicon Association was founded in 1990 by Irit Sela and Amir Or. Among its initiatives are: a school for creative writing, the Annual Poetry Program, the Hebrew-Arabic Poetry Program, “Helicon” poetry journal, Helicon’s publishing house, and more.

The International Writers Forum in Jerusalem is the successor project to the International Book Fair and has been held every two years since 1963. A project of the Jerusalem Municipality, the Forum is produced by the municipal company Ariel. The Forum brings together publishers, literary editors, literary agents, and scouts in the city for four days of discussions, panels, and meetings. The Zev Birger Editorial Fellowship, a professional seminar, takes place in parallel with the Forum and as an integral part of it. As part of the Forum, the Jerusalem Prize for Literature is awarded. The Forum is held in collaboration with the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Writers Festival. 

Our Mission
We believe that literature transcends borders. Our mission is to share the voices of Israeli authors with a global audience, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

What We Do:
Translation and Promotion: We collaborate with talented translators and international publishers to bring Hebrew works to readers in over 82 languages, ensuring that stories born in Israel resonate worldwide.

Support and Grants: We offer financial assistance to publishers and literary journals, making the journey from Hebrew manuscript to international bookshelf a seamless one.

Events & Residencies: We organize workshops, literary events, and professional residencies for aspiring translators, providing mentorship, networking opportunities, and hands-on experience in the art of literary translation.

Strong Presence in International Book Fairs – The Israeli Institute for Hebrew Literature actively represents Israeli authors and publishers at major international book fairs, such as those in Frankfurt, London, and Guadalajara. By showcasing Hebrew literature on a global stage, the institute helps facilitate foreign rights sales, translation deals, and international recognition for Israeli writers.

Facilitating Author Participation in Literary Events – The institute supports Israeli writers in engaging with readers and fellow authors by organizing and funding their participation in literary festivals, book tours, and panel discussions both in Israel and abroad. This engagement enhances cultural exchange and strengthens the global visibility of contemporary Hebrew literature.

The National Library of Israel was established by law to “collect, preserve, cultivate and endow the treasures of knowledge, heritage and culture in general, with an emphasis on the Land of Israel, the State of Israel and the Jewish people in particular.”

With that mission in mind, the National Library has set out on the journey of rebuilding, restructuring and upgrading itself. The goal is to craft an institution at the frontier of information and cultural ingenuity, in the core areas that the law has entrusted. The National Library seeks to play a defining role in the cultural life of all Israeli citizens, from all communities and faiths, and to reach those audiences around the world that may be interested in Israel and Judaism. Working with partners in the fields of information and content, the National Library makes a vital contribution to the international effort to preserve and promote the treasures of humankind’s cultural heritage.

The foundation operates in various fields including literature and poetry, music, dance, visual arts, experimental theater, and film. It supports the publication of books across different genres.