Department of English Literature and Linguistics - Bar Ilan University

16/07/2026

Huge congratulations to our Dr. Taylor Johnston-Levy on being recognized as one of Bar-Ilan University's Outstanding Lecturers for 2025–2026 (תשפ"ו)! 🎉👏 It is a privilege to have you as a colleague in the Department of English Literature and Linguistics. Wishing you continued success and many more years of inspiring students! Congratulations! 🌷🎓

10/07/2026

PEN America interviewed more than 30 Israeli and Jewish writers and literary professionals, including Deborah Harris and DHA’s client Joanna Chen, in an attempt to gauge the effect the attacks of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza have had on the literary market. The result is an extensive report on the rising hostility and exclusion which are a threat to what PEN America is fundamentally committed to defending: a culture of free expression for all.

Read the full article through the link in the comments below.

05/07/2026

This year, 263 new doctoral graduates from across all BIU`s departments were awarded their PhDs. The newly minted doctors ranged in age from 24 to 79: this a wonderful reminder that the pursuit of knowledge has no age limit.

We are especially proud of the three new doctors from our department:
🎓 Dr. Danielle Nagler (supervised by Prof. William Kolbrener)
🎓Dr. Tatiana Verkhovtceva (supervised by Prof. Natalia Meir)
🎓 Dr. Sidney Gordon (supervised by Prof. Natalia Meir)

Congratulations to our newly minted doctors on this remarkable achievement! We wish you continued success in your academic and professional journeys. Congratulations, Doctors! 🎉🎓

01/07/2026

If you missed the student awards ceremony for the Shaindy Bar-Ilan, Shaindy Rudoff Creative Writing Graduate Program you can watch it now. Congratulations to the prize winners.
Andrea Moriah Prize in Poetry--Maria Katzendorn
Sandy Nairn Prize for Literary Translation--Rania Hannon
Dave Greber Prize for Social Justice in Literary Nonfiction--
Inbal Baron and Hadar Liberman
Bar Sagi Prize in Fiction--Elena Shakhnovskaya

Andrea Moriah Prize in Poetry--Maria KatzendornSandy Nairn Prize f...

25/06/2026

A symposium featuring Humanities-Based AI Research organized by Dr. Galit Agmon! 🤖📚
Today, researchers from across the Faculty of Humanities came together for the Humanities-Based AI Research Symposium to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping research in linguistics, philosophy, translation, music, literature, and beyond. The symposium featured most interesting talks by faculty members, a keynote lecture, and lively discussions that highlighted the richness of interdisciplinary collaboration.

A special highlight of the event was the poster session, where students from Dr. Galit Agmon's seminar, AI and Language: Can Computers Really Talk? presented their research projects. Their work addressed a wide range of timely topics, including language processing in LLMs, creativity, translation, cultural bias, code-switching, syntax, emotion, and language disorders. The quality, originality, and enthusiasm displayed by the students were truly impressive.

Congratulations to all the presenters and speakers, and special thanks to Dr. Galit Agmon for mentoring the next generation of researchers. We look forward to seeing these exciting projects continue to develop!

25/06/2026

Mabrouk to our Prof Elinor Saiegh-Haddad who today received the prestigious Humboldt Research Award which is awarded by the German Humboldt Foundation to distinguished researchers across the world in recognition of their research career and their impact on their field and their contribution to science. The Award ceremony took place in Berlin and was followed by the International conference of the Humboldt Foundation featuring the German minister of science and technology and then by a meeting with the federal German president. We are so proud of Prof. Saiegh-Haddad`s achievements!

24/06/2026

Congratulations to the winners of the graduate student writing prizes. Maria Katzendorn, Inbal Baron, Hadar Liberman, Elena Shakhnovskaya, and Rania Hannon

17/06/2026

Wishing all who celebrating a happy, peaceful, successful and joyous year.

16/06/2026

🎓 Congratulations to our BA and MA graduates! 🎓 Kudos! Mazal Tov! Mabrouk! 🎉

You completed your studies during the most challenging years: through the COVID-19 pandemic, periods of uncertainty, and the ongoing war. Despite these challenges, you persevered, continued learning, writing papers, attending classes. Your graduation is not only an academic achievement but also a testament to your resilience and determination!

We are incredibly proud of all that you have accomplished! As you embark on the next chapter, we wish you success ahead. And remember we would love to see you continue your academic journey with us. Come pursue your next degree with us! 📚✨

04/06/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Our Outstanding Students! 🎉

We are delighted to share that Yahav Mesilati, a BA student, and Oksana Rekun, a PhD student in the Department of English Literature and Linguistics at Bar-Ilan University, have been awarded this year’s Rector’s Prize for their outstanding academic achievements.

Yahav Mesilati has distinguished herself through her dedication to her studies, this recognition is a wonderful testament to her hard work and achievements as an undergraduate student.

Oksana Rekun is conducting innovative doctoral research on code-switching in Russian–Hebrew bilingual children and adults under the supervision Prof. Natalia Meir. Oksana has already published two research papers on this topic!

Congratulations, Yahav and Oksana! 👏🎉 We are incredibly proud of you and wish you continued success in all your future endeavors.