A Berlin-based Hebrew publishing house founded by two Israeli expatriates is aiming to build a global home for Hebrew and Jewish literature, positioning itself beyond national frameworks and outside Israeli state funding.
Dory Manor and Moshe Sakal, partners in life and publishing, launched Altneuland in 2024 after years of living in Berlin and Paris. Though both are Israeli, they say their press is neither Israeli nor European, but instead a platform for Hebrew literature from around the world.
“I believe that the Hebrew language is not only a national language,” said Manor, the editor-in-chief. “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.”
A global home for Hebrew literature
Altneuland is the first non-religious Hebrew publishing house established outside Israel since the country’s founding. The press has expanded beyond Hebrew literature to include Jewish authors writing in German, French, Russian, and Yiddish.
The company is set to launch in the United States this fall, with an English-language book by Ruth Margalit and translations of Hebrew works by Noa Yedlin and Itamar Orlev.
It is also the German publisher of “The Future is Peace,” a New York Times bestseller by Israeli Maoz Inon and Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah.
Positioning beyond Israeli state funding
At a time when some authors and publishers have called for boycotts of Israeli institutions, Manor and Sakal say Altneuland is not part of that movement. They continue to work with writers in Israel and sell to Israeli bookstores.
Establishing the publishing house in Berlin made them ineligible for Israeli public funding, allowing them to avoid questions surrounding government support.
Sakal said Israel remains a central hub for Hebrew and Jewish literature, but not the only one. “We are not replacing it,” he said. “We are doing something else.”
Altneuland allows the founders to work with writers while remaining separate from the Israeli Ministry of Culture, which supports the publishing industry through prizes and funding.
In January, the ministry canceled its annual culture prizes, with Culture Minister Miki Zohar citing concerns over political bias. The move highlighted broader tensions between the government and the arts sector.
“This government is, for me, an enemy of Israel and not Israel itself,” said Manor. “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.”
Writers, readers, and a borderless literary space
The founders say their goal is to create a home for Jewish authors with a liberal outlook, particularly those navigating rising nationalism in Israel and elsewhere.
Margalit, a Tel Aviv-based journalist, will publish a collection of her political and cultural profiles, “In the Belly of the Whale: Portraits from a Fractured Israel,” in September through a collaboration with Pushkin Press.
“At a time when so many people are quick to jump to labels or cancellations, it was bracing to find thoughtful partners,” she said.
Israeli-born author Michal Arad, who has lived in California for over two decades, will see her Hebrew novel published in German by Altneuland. Her work reflects a broader trend in Hebrew literature that explores life outside Israel.
“I’ve been thrilled to see that Israeli readers are willing, even eager, to read stories about Israeli expatriates,” Arad said.
Altneuland takes its name from Theodor Herzl’s 1902 novel, meaning “old new land,” reflecting what Manor described as a literary space not bound by territory. “It is the Hebrew language,” he said.
Berlin, home to a large Israeli expatriate community, provides both a practical and symbolic base. The founders also see their work as continuing the legacy of Schocken Verlag, a Jewish publishing house that operated in Berlin until it was shut down under Nazi rule.
“What we find is the possibility of a Jewish cultural space that is cosmopolitan, multilingual, humanist, non-national, and not dependent on a single territory,” said Sakal.
While some critics question whether a Hebrew-language press can succeed outside Israel, the founders say demand remains strong, particularly among Israeli readers, while also growing abroad.
Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the Jewish Book Council, said the initiative comes at a time of increased pressure on Jewish authors globally.
“In this moment, we see their effort as a meaningful contribution to the Jewish literary landscape,” she said.
Altneuland’s books in German and English are produced through collaborations with international publishers. Despite concerns about potential boycotts, the founders said their outreach has largely been met with openness.
“Usually we had interesting talks with people who understood the nuances between our being a Hebrew publishing house and Israel as a state,” said Manor. “This is something that we could not predict when we created Altneuland