Name Uriah Kfir Date (January, 2015) URIAH KFIR CURRICULUM VITAE AND LIST OF PUBLICATIONS Personal Details Name: Uriah Kfir Date and place of birth: July 10, 1977, Israel Regular military service (dates): 1995-1998 Address and telephone number at work The Department of Hebrew Literature Ben- Beer Sheva 84105 Israel Tel. +972-86461131 Email: kfirur@bgu.ac.il Address and telephone number at home 14 Crémieux Street Tel Aviv, 64259 Israel Tel. +972-523696694 Education B.A. 2000-2003: Tel Aviv University, Department of Hebrew Literature Fall 2001: Overseas studies at Venice International University, Venice M.A. (prior to direct entry Ph.D.) 2003-2004: Tel Aviv University, Department of Hebrew Literature Fall 2003: Overseas studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York Ph.D.(Direct entry Ph.D.) 2004-2011: Tel Aviv University, Department of Literature Name of advisor: Prof. Tova Rosen Title of thesis: Center and Periphery in Medieval Hebrew Poetry: Secular Poetry from a Provincial and Provençal Perspective Employment History 2012-current: Lecturer, The Department of Hebrew Literature, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2009-2012: Teaching Fellow, The Department of Hebrew Literature, Achva College Outstanding Lecturer for the year 2010-2011 Summer 2011: Postdoctoral research fellow, The Institute of Judaic Studies, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main Name of Advisor: Prof. Elisabeth Hollender Subject: Isaac HaGorni A Medieval Hebrew Poet: Critical Edition and Analysis
Name Uriah Kfir page 2 2006-2008, 2011: Teaching Fellow, The Department of Hebrew Literature, Ben- 2006-2008, 2010: Teaching Fellow, The Department of Literature, Tel Aviv University 2003-2009: Research assistant to Prof. Israel Levin and Prof. Tova Rosen, Tel Aviv University 2002-2003: Research assistant to Prof. Tova Be'eri, Tel Aviv University Professional Activities (a) Positions in academic administration 2015: Member of the organizing committee of the Medieval and Early Modern Times Forum, Ben-Gurion University 2013-2015: Member of the organizing committee of the annual conference of the Department of Hebrew Literature, Ben-Gurion University 2012: Co-organizer, International Conference in Honor of Prof. Tova Rosen's Retirement, Ben Gurion University (b) Professional functions outside universities/institutions 2008-2009: Invited lecturer at public libraries in Israel, following the publication of The Hebrew Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age Series of Tel Aviv University Press, Israeli Center for Libraries (c) Membership in professional/scientific societies 2010-current: European Association for Jewish Studies 2005-current: National Association of Professors of Hebrew 2013: World Union of Jewish Studies Educational activities (a) Courses taught Introduction to Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Undergraduate mandatory course, Achva College Reading Academic Texts, Undergraduate mandatory pro-seminar, Ben- How to Write an Academic Paper, Undergraduate mandatory pro-seminar, Ben- Exercise to the course: Introduction to Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Undergraduate mandatory course, Ben- On a Personal Note: "Personal" Poems by Great Hebrew Poets in Spain, Undergraduate seminar, Ben-
Name Uriah Kfir page 3 Immanuel HaRomi: A Hebrew poet and a suitor from Italy, Undergraduate seminar, Ben- Why use force? Relations between Medieval Hebrew Centers: Spain, Italy, Iraq and Egypt, Undergraduate course, Ben- Judah HaLevi: A Poet in the Eye of the Storm, Undergraduate course, Ben- Solomon Ibn Gabirol: A Poet in Adversity, Undergraduate course, Ben- "Were you real or just a dream?": Eretz Israel in reality and imagination in medieval Hebrew poetry, Undergraduate course, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev The Maqama: A "Popular" Hebrew Literature in the Middle Ages, Undergraduate course, Ben- My Heart and Myself: The Poetic Profile of Judah ha-levi, Undergraduate course, Ben- A Matter of Geography: Power, Space and Politics in Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Undergraduate course, Ben- and Tel Aviv University Reading in Medieval Hebrew Love Poetry, Undergraduate course, Tel Aviv University Center and Periphery in Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Undergraduate course, Tel Aviv University Awards, Citations, Honors, Fellowships (a) Honors, Citation Awards 2012: Minerva Sort term Post doc Research Grant (Minerva Foundation) 2011: Outstanding Lecturer (Achva College) 2009: Gaon Center Award (Ben-Gurion University) 2009: Lea Goldberg Award for Research Abroad (Hebrew University) 2006: World Sephardi Federation Award 2005-2006: Tel Aviv University Rector's Matching Scholarship 2005: Porter Institute Grant (Tel Aviv University) 2004: Ignatz Bubis Award (Tel Aviv University) 2003: Zvi Posis Award (Tel Aviv University) 2002: Miriam Robinach Award, Inbar Atia Award, Israeli-Memorial- Day,Award (Tel Aviv University) (b) Fellowships 2007-2010: Israel Council for Higher Education, The Nathan Rotenstreich Fellowship for Outstanding Doctoral Students in the Humanities ($20,366 per year for three and a half years, total: $71,281)
Name Uriah Kfir page 4 Scientific Publications (a) Authored books see "Books and articles to be published" bellow (b) Editorship of collective volumes 1. Eli Yassif PI, Haviva Ishay PI, Uriah Kfir PI (eds.). 2012, Mikan 11 and El Presente 6 (Special Issue in Honor of Prof. Tova Rosen), 431 pp. [Hebrew and English] (c) Chapters in collective volumes 1. Tova Rosen PI, Uriah Kfir PI. 2007, "'What Does a Father Want?' An Unpublished Poem and its Intertexts", M. Rand and J. Decter (eds.), Studies in Arabic and Hebrew Letters in Honor of Raymond P. Scheindlin, New-Jersey: Gorgias Press, pp. 129-153 (d) Refereed articles and refereed letters in scientific journals "פנינים או עדרים: מהו ה'יפה' על פי שלמה אבן גבירול".1 Uriah Kfir. 2012, "Pearls or Herds: The 'Beautiful' According to Solomon ibn Gabirol" [Hebrew], Mikan 11 and El Presente 6 (Special Issue in Honor of Prof. Tova Rosen), pp. 83-97 2. Tova Rosen PI, Uriah Kfir PI. 2012, "Hebrew Poetry in Spain: An Annotated Bibliography", David Biale (ed.), Oxford Bibliographies Online, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (http://oxfordbibliographiesonline.com/) "על הרון ועל האון: שיר האזור 'אין ר ן בך' מאת אברהם הבדרשי" *.3 Uriah Kfir. 2013,"On Poetry and Potency: En Ron Becah A Muwashshah by Abraham habedersi", Jerusalem Studied in Hebrew Literature 25, pp. 41-68 "מה תגבהי בבל ומה תגאי שנער?: עליית המרכז הספרדי על פי שירת תור הזהב" *.4 Uriah Kfir. 2014, "'What makes you haughty, Babylon?': the Rise of the Spanish Center according to Golden Age Poetry", Peʿamim 138, pp.9-37 "אביה, בתו, בעלה: דיאלוג שירי והקשריו" *.5 Tova Rosen PI, Uriah Kfir PI. "Her Father, His Daughter, Her Husband: A Poetic Dialog and its Contexts", El Presente 8 and Mikan (Special Issue in Honor of Prof. Tamar Alexander) [accepted] "אזכרה שש חנוכות: מערכת יוצר חדשה לחנוכה מאת משה אבן עזרא" *.6 Uriah Kfir. "ʾEzkera shesh ḥanukot: A New Yoṣer Composition for Ḥanukkah by Moses Ibn Ezra", Perqei Shira [accepted] Lectures and Presentations at Meetings and Invited Seminars (a) Invited plenary lectures at conferences/meetings Uriah Kfir. 2012, "'As Beautiful as a Sheep: Aesthetics and Politics in a Poem by Ibn Gabirol", The Hebrew Literature Departmental Research Seminar, Ben-
Name Uriah Kfir page 5 Uriah Kfir. 2013, "Judah Halevi and the Pain of Two Homelands", The Masterpiece Lecture Series, The Department of Hebrew Literature, Ben- Uriah Kfir. 2015, "Solomon ibn Gabirol, A Split Personality", The Masterpiece Lecture Series, The Department of Hebrew Literature, Ben- (b) Presentation of papers at conferences/meetings Uriah Kfir. 2005, "The Provincial Voice of the Provençal Poetry", Conference of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew (NAPH), Stanford University Uriah Kfir. 2006, "Space, Periphery and Gender in Medieval Hebrew Poetry", The Annual Conference of the Department of Hebrew Literature of Ben Gurion University Uriah Kfir. 2007, "The Provencal School in Medieval Hebrew Secular Poetry: Does it Exist?", The 17 th Interuniversity Conference for Hebrew Literature", Hebrew University Uriah Kfir. 2008, "Ego or Libido: What Drives a Poet?", The 5 th Medieval Hebrew Poetry Colloquium, University of Groningen, Holland Uriah Kfir. 2009, "Between Legitimate and Illegitimate Violence", The 15 th World Congress of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University Uriah Kfir. 2009, "Medieval Hebrew Poetry in Spain: A Reading from the Periphery", Conference of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew (NAPH), University College, London Tova Rosen, Uriah Kfir. 2010, "Halakha, Medicine and Poetry, in a Late Medieval Hebrew Text", A Symposium in Honor of Prof. Ron Barkai, Tel Aviv University Uriah Kfir. 2010, "'All strength to thee that thou brakest it': Reading Immanuel of Rome's 8 th Maqama", The Annual Conference of the Department of Hebrew Literature of Ben Gurion University Uriah Kfir. 2012, "'Not Beyond the Sea': Secular Hebrew Poetry in Medieval Provence Characteristics and Meanings", The International Conference of Jewish Studies, Aix-Marseille Université Uriah Kfir. 2012, "Talk Like a Man, Be Silent Like a Woman: A 13 th century Literary Brawl", International Conference in Honor of Professor Tova Rosen, Ben-Gurion University Uriah Kfir. 2013, "Center and Periphery: A New Perspective on the Map of Medieval Hebrew Poetry", The 16 th World Congress of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University
Name Uriah Kfir page 6 Uriah Kfir. 2014, "The Construction of Space in Isaac HaGorni's Poetry", The 10 th Congress of the European Association for Jewish Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris Tova Rosen, Uriah Kfir. 2015, "Her Father, His Daughter, Her Husband: A Poetic Dialog and its Contexts", International Conference in Honor of Professor Tamar Alexander, Ben-Gurion University Uriah Kfir, 2015. "And the Light is Sweet", A Symposium in the occasion of the launch of The Liturgical Poems of Moses ibn Ezra, Tel Aviv University Research Grants 2012: Minerva Short Term Post doc Research Grant, Uriah Kfir PI Subject: Isaac HaGorni A Medieval Hebrew Poet: Critical Edition and Analysis 2014-2016: Israeli Scientific Foundation, The Publications Support Program, Uriah Kfir PI Subject: A Matter of Geography: A New Perspective on Medieval Hebrew Poetry Present Academic Activities Research in progress A Matter of Geography: A New Perspective on Medieval Hebrew Poetry Other participants N/A Expected date of completion: 2016 Isaac HaGorni A Medieval Hebrew Poet: Critical Edition and Analysis Other participants N/A Expected date of completion: 2017 Books and articles to be published 1. * A book in Preparation: A Matter of Geography: A New Perspective on Medieval Hebrew Poetry, Leiden and Boston: Brill [Under contract] Articles in preparation: 1. * "Between Legitimate and Illegitimate Violence: Reading Immanuel of Rome's 8 th Maqama" 2. * "Ego or Libido: What Drives a Poet?" Additional Information Participation in workshops 2010: Codicology and Paleography of Hebrew Manuscripts, directed by Prof. Malachi Beit-Arié, Ben- 2005: The Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics Fellows forum, directed by Prof. Ziva Ben Porat, Tel Aviv University
Name Uriah Kfir page 7 Synopsis of research, including reference to publications and grants in above lists (NOT to exceed three single-spaced pages.) 1. A Matter of Geography: A New Perspective on Medieval Hebrew Poetry The research is supported by the Israeli scientific Foundation and slated to be published as a book by Brill. The research aims at developing an original geographical perspective on secular Hebrew poetry from the 10 th to the 13 th century, which will contribute to a better understanding of the relations between medieval literary centers and their implications for issues of poetics. As is well known, secular Hebrew poetry was written in many countries in the Middle Ages. However, the poetry of the Spanish school held hegemonic sway, particularly during the Andalusian Golden Age but also thereafter, by dictating, directing and channeling literary tastes and writing in near and distant lands. Poets from both the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere saw Spain not only as a locus of remarkable poetry, but also the capital of Hebrew literature. Modern scholarship has also consistently stressed the supremacy of Hebrew poetry from Iberia, especially secular poetry. The canon of medieval Hebrew poetry is often seen as interchangeable with Iberian poetry. Other important poetic works written elsewhere tend to draw less attention or alternatively, are assessed against Iberian poetry. Iberian poetry is thus defined as the center of medieval Hebrew poetry, while other poetries are thought to be the Periphery. This research suggests a major reversal: instead of using the center as a yardstick for the periphery I suggest adopting the prism of the periphery to look at the center. This does not mean adopting the prism of a specific geographic zone but rather a reading from a hypothetical consciousness of marginality. The emphasis of the research is thus not on the history of the spread of Iberian poetry, nor does it provide an objective evaluation of central vis-à-vis peripheral poetries. Rather, it examines both Iberian and ex-iberian poets' own perceptions of themselves and others. The guiding theoretical model of the research is that of the relations between center and periphery. The analysis operates on two levels. First, I analyze textual expressions embedded within the works themselves. There are many examples of poems in which poets from the Iberian center describe themselves in relation to the peripheral poets and vice versa. Second, I apply concepts from Structuralist and post-structuralist literary and cultural theories that draw on the fields of Sociology (mostly Pierre Bourdieu), Minority Studies, Human Geography and Literary Criticism. 2. Isaac HaGorni A Medieval Hebrew Poet: Critical Edition and Analysis This research is partly supported by the Minerva Foundation and dedicated to the 13th century Hebrew poet, Issac HaGorni of Provence. HaGorni is considered to be the most talented Hebrew poet in medieval Provence; however, his poems were never published in a proper critical edition, nor have been analyzed in a comprehensive study. This research aims to close that gap by producing a critical edition, based on rare manuscripts, of all the poems written by and to this important poet, including variants, sources and annotations as well as extensive prefaces.