Hanoch Levin Archive

Stanford University Libraries are honored to welcome the Hanoch Levin Archive to our collections through a collaboration with The Taube Center for Jewish Studies, and the dedicated work of Eitan Lev Kensky, the Reinhard Family Curator of Judaica and Hebraica Collections.

“Theater and drama are cultural universals that are vigorously studied and performed at Stanford,” said Michael A. Keller, the Ida M. Green University Librarian. “The placement of the Hanoch Levin Archive in the Special Collections of the Stanford University Libraries will further secure the author’s legacy as a leading Israeli playwright and a presence on the stage of world literature.”

Hanoch Levin (1943–1999) is widely regarded as one of Israel’s most influential and groundbreaking playwrights. His work reshaped the landscape of Israeli theater through a bold, poetic voice, unflinching social critique, and profound human insight. Levin’s plays have left an indelible mark not only on Israeli culture but also on international theater, establishing him as a major figure in global dramatic literature.

Vered Karti Shemtov, Faculty Director of The Taube Center, who opened the conversation with the Levin family more than six years ago, expressed great excitement about the acquisition, "We are thrilled to host Hanoch Levin’s Archive here at Stanford. We warmly invite scholars to join us, explore the archive, and engage deeply with his remarkable work and enduring legacy."

Both The Taube Center for Jewish Studies and Stanford University Libraries are deeply grateful to Miriam Roland and the Aaron-Roland Fund for Jewish Studies whose generous support made possible the Hanoch Levin Archive coming to Stanford. This important acquisition joins the archives of other renowned cultural icons housed at Stanford University Libraries, including Allen Ginsberg, Amos Gitai, John Steinbeck, and others.

The Levin Archive was digitized with the generous support of the Levin family and will soon be accessible through Stanford University Libraries’ website. According to the family, the acquisition was carried out with the support and blessing of the Israel State Archive, which also received a copy of the digitized material for preservation.

“The Hanoch Levin Archive would not have come to Stanford without the incredible collaboration and commitment from the Libraries and the Taube Center for Jewish Studies,” explained Kensky, “Rebecca Wingfield, our curator of British and American Literature, and I partnered on this project, engaging colleagues throughout the library, across departments. Everyone collectively impressed the Levin family with their dedication to the stewardship of cultural heritage. In addition, the enthusiasm for Levin's work from our faculty and graduate students working on Hebrew and Comparative literature — and the potential for research inherent in the archive – has been inspirational."