SHIFRA HORN ISRAELI AUTHOR

Shifra Horn lives in Jerusalem. After majoring in Bible Studies and Archeology at the Hebrew University, she went on to study for MA in Bible Studies. Horn also studied Mass Communications and has earned a teaching degree.

While a university student, Horn served as an Educational Officer for the World Union of Jewish students. There she initiated and managed the world campaign to save Ethiopian Jews and bring them to Israel. Horn also participated in the campaign to free Soviet and Syrian Jews, producing films and written material.

She has worked with Jewish students from oppressed Jewish communities around the world. Her achievements included the discovery of a village of Jewish Marranos who had kept their Jewish identity secret for over 500 years. Horn’s activity in the village of Belmonte in northwest Portugal resulted in the entire population converting fully to Judaism.

Horn went on to act as a spokesperson for the Israel Absorption Ministry until her departure to Japan on state business. While in Japan for five years, Horn served as the Far East correspondent for the Israel Defense Forces Radio station and the Ma’ariv daily newspaper. Horn also served as manager for the Tokyo Jewish Community Center and taught Bible Studies and Hebrew at the Bible College in Ginza, Tokyo.

Once back in Jerusalem, she managed her own public relations business while also lecturing on Japan and different topics of literature.

Horn has received many prizes both in Israel and other countries.Among them the Book Publishers Association Golden and Platinum Prizes for all her books. The WIZO FRANCE prize (2008) presented to her to her by Simone Veil, the WIZO-Israel prize and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature 2004 and the Bat-Yam Prize for Literature.

In 2006 she was awarded the Brenner Prize in Israel – one of the most prestigious prizes in Israeli literature- for ‘Ode to Joy’ as well as an important Italian prize (ADEI )for Jewish writers for the same title.

In 2015 Horn received the Ministry of Education prize for her book “Promenade a Deux”.

Among the University invitations accepted Horn has lectured at University College London , Cambridge University England and Princeton University USA. and participated in writers’ festivals around the world including England, India, Holland, Australia ,USA , New Zealand and South Africa and has been a featured guest at the Paris and Turin International Book Fairs.

Her books have been translated into English, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Estonian, and Turkish.