The Jerusalem Publishing House

 About us

The Jerusalem Publishing House was founded and managed by Mr. Shlomo (known to all and sundry as "Yosh") Gafni, who, with  Ms. Rachel Gilon, who "only" joined the staff 31 years ago, have been the guiding spirits of the company throughout.  This top-ranked team has gained a worldwide reputation for excellence in every aspect of book publishing.

 In 2007, this team was joined by Mr. Moshe Heller and Dr. Shmuel Himelstein. Mr. Gafni has since retired, but still maintains an active involvement in the company's operations. Since May 2008, Mr. Heller is the CEO of the company. 

The company has as its aim the publication of books in various languages on Jewish and general subjects. Over the years, the publishing house has specialized in producing encyclopedias.

The first editor in chief of The Jerusalem Publishing House was Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder. Its bestselling title, The Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible, sold over one million copies. Other works dealing with the Bible include Almanac of the Bible, The Glory of the Old Testament, The Glory of the New Testament, Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land, and The History of Israel and the Holy Land.

The prize-winning Encyclopedia of Judaism, whose 2nd edition appeared in 2002 as The New Encyclopedia of Judaism and in a youth edition as The Student’s Encyclopedia of Judaism (2004), is a standard reference work in several languages.

The Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East is an objective survey of the conflicts in the region.

Series of richly illustrated encyclopedias covering the most important cultural events in Western civilization are Peoples of the World with an edition for young adults (10 vols.), Encyclopedia of the Classical World, Renaissance, Medieval Civilization, Encyclopedia of International Boundaries, etc.

Since the late 1990s, The Jerusalem Publishing House has co-published with Yad Vashem encyclopedias on the subject of the Holocaust for general and educational purposes. These include such seminal works as The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust (3 vols.) and the ongoing Encyclopedia of the Righteous Among the Nations (6 vols.through 2005).

The biggest project of The Jerusalem Publishing House was the publication of the 22-volume second edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica in cooperation with the Keter Publishing House in Jerusalem and Thomson Gale (Macmillan) in the U.S. Fred Skolnik, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Publishing House, was also editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia, while Michael Berenbaum of the U.S. was executive editor.

Our experienced staff can help tailor any reference book to your needs and specifications. We have at our disposal writers and editors in diverse fields, and can produce for you books which are both accurate in content and aesthetically attractive. Thus, in collaboration with our partners, we can produce books which are perfectly attuned to your individual market. Our experience in book production can assure that you receive a finished product - printed, bound, and delivered - at a most reasonable price.