New Berlin Press Altneuland Challenges Notion That Israel Owns Hebrew Language

In a significant move for global Hebrew literature, Altneuland, a new publishing house founded by Israeli expatriates Dory Manor and Moshe Sakal, has launched in Berlin. This venture, established in 2024, deliberately positions itself outside traditional national boundaries and Israeli state funding, aiming to build a worldwide home for Hebrew and Jewish literary works. The founders, who have lived in Berlin and Paris, emphasize that their press is neither solely Israeli nor European, but rather a platform for Hebrew literature from across the globe.

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I believe that the Hebrew language is not only a national language. Hebrew has always been a global language, and even modern Hebrew has been an international language, mostly European but not only, before the creation of the State of Israel.

Manor, the editor-in-chief, asserts that Hebrew is fundamentally a global language, not confined to a single nation. "Hebrew has always been a global language, and even modern Hebrew has been an international language, mostly European but not only, before the creation of the State of Israel," he stated. Altneuland stands as the first non-religious Hebrew publishing house established outside Israel since its founding, expanding its scope to include Jewish authors writing in various languages such as German, French, Russian, and Yiddish.

This initiative arrives at a time when some authors and publishers are calling for boycotts of Israeli institutions. Manor and Sakal, however, maintain that Altneuland is not part of this movement, continuing to collaborate with writers in Israel and sell to Israeli bookstores. By establishing their press in Berlin, they became ineligible for Israeli public funding, thus sidestepping potential controversies surrounding government support. Sakal clarifies, "We are not replacing it. We are doing something else." This allows them to engage with writers while remaining separate from the Israeli Ministry of Culture, especially given recent tensions between the government and the arts sector, such as the cancellation of culture prizes due to alleged political bias.

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We are not replacing it. We are doing something else.

Altneuland's core mission is to cultivate a space for Jewish authors, particularly those with a liberal outlook who are navigating the complexities of rising nationalism both in Israel and globally. The press plans to launch in the United States this fall, featuring works by Ruth Margalit and translations of Hebrew authors like Noa Yedlin and Itamar Orlev. They are also the German publisher of "The Future is Peace," a New York Times bestseller by Israeli Maoz Inon and Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah. This endeavor represents a unique effort to create a borderless literary community, celebrating the richness of Hebrew and Jewish voices on an international stage.

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This government is, for me, an enemy of Israel and not Israel itself. So no, I’m not boycotting anyone, but I don’t want to deal with the current Israeli government. I do want to deal with Israeli readers, with Israeli writers.