Ov Publishing

Ov Publishing (Hebrew: הוצאת אוב, also known as Ov - Z.A.P.) is an independent Israeli book publishing house founded in April 2002 in Tel Aviv by editor Yair Or. It was established with the aim of providing a platform for ideological alternatives and quality, experimental literature, bringing uncompromising literary and philosophical works to a diverse readership. Its target audience spans a wide range, from high school students to university lecturers, and from literature enthusiasts to scholars of philosophy, linguistics, and history. The press's first book was 'Bolo'bolo', a global utopia by the anonymous Swiss author p.m., which was already a well-known work. Ov Publishing has since focused on non-fiction in the fields of language and society, as well as original Hebrew literature and poetry. Notable publications include Benjamin Lee Whorf's 'Language, Thought, and Reality' (edited by Yair Or, 2004; revised and expanded second edition 2018), and Yair Or's own 'Creating a Style for a Generation: The Beliefs and Ideologies of Hebrew Language Planners in Palestine' (2016). The press has also published debut works of original Hebrew literature, such as Yiftach Ashkenazi's first book in 2003 and Avi Feldman's first book 'Tape' in 2014. Between 2010 and 2016, Ov Publishing produced 'Ma'amal', the student journal of the Department of Culture, Creation and Production at Sapir Academic College. In 2020, the press launched the book series 'The Europeans' (האירופים), a collaboration with the Simone Veil Center for the Study of Contemporary Europe at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Edited by Dr. Hila Zahavi and Prof. Sharon Pardo, the series aims to bring to Hebrew readers the foundational texts of the founding mothers and fathers of the European unification project. Volumes include works by Robert Schuman, Hans-Peter Schwarz, Richard N. Coudenhove-Kalergi, Walter Hallstein, and others. Ov Publishing remains an active independent press, operating from Tel Aviv and distributing its titles primarily in Israel. Its catalog reflects a commitment to intellectual rigor, linguistic diversity, and the translation of key European and philosophical texts into Hebrew.

Ov Publishing was founded in April 2002 in Tel Aviv by editor Yair Or. The press was established with the goal of serving as a platform for ideological alternatives and quality, experimental literature, aiming to bring uncompromising literary and philosophical works to a diverse readership. Its first book was 'Bolo'bolo', a global utopia by the anonymous Swiss author p.m., which was already a well-known work. The first edition appeared in 2002, with a revised and expanded second edition in 2011. In 2003, the press published Yiftach Ashkenazi's debut book 'Sipurei Mot Iri'. In 2004, it released Benjamin Lee Whorf's 'Language, Thought, and Reality', edited by Yair Or, with a revised and updated second edition in 2018. Other notable early publications include Benny Ziffer's 'Aliyato Hashmayma shel HaOrech HaSifruti' (2005) and Malka Locker's bilingual poetry collection 'Shirim / Lider' (2005). Between 2010 and 2016, Ov Publishing produced 'Ma'amal', the student journal of the Department of Culture, Creation and Production at Sapir Academic College. In 2014, it published Avi Feldman's debut book 'Tape'. In 2016, Yair Or's own work 'Creating a Style for a Generation: The Beliefs and Ideologies of Hebrew Language Planners in Palestine' was released. A significant development occurred in 2020 with the launch of the book series 'The Europeans' (האירופים), a collaboration between Ov Publishing and the Simone Veil Center for the Study of Contemporary Europe at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Edited by Dr. Hila Zahavi and Prof. Sharon Pardo, the series aims to bring to Hebrew readers the foundational texts of the founding mothers and fathers of the European unification project. The series has published works such as Robert Schuman's 'For Europe' (2020, translated from French by Shiran Bak), Hans-Peter Schwarz's 'Konrad Adenauer: A European Statesman' (2021, translated from German by Danit Dotan), Richard N. Coudenhove-Kalergi's 'Pan-Europa' (2021, translated from German by Gadi Goldberg), Walter Hallstein's 'United Europe: Challenge and Opportunity' (2023, translated from English by Ofer Kover), Hila Zahavi, Aharon (Roni) Leshno-Yaar and Sharon Pardo's 'Here is Europe: Israel and the European Union' (2024), and Alfredo Canavero's 'Alcide De Gasperi: The Man from Trentino Who Rebuilt Italy and Founded Europe' (2025, translated from Italian by Amotz Giladi). The press continues to operate as an independent publishing house based in Tel Aviv, maintaining its commitment to intellectual and literary quality.

• 2025

  Published 'Alcide De Gasperi: The Man from Trentino Who Rebuilt Italy and Founded Europe'.

• 2024

  Published 'Here is Europe: Israel and the European Union'.

• 2023

  Published Walter Hallstein's 'United Europe: Challenge and Opportunity'.

• 2021

  Published 'Konrad Adenauer: A European Statesman' and 'Pan-Europa' in 'The Europeans' series.

• 2020

  Launched 'The Europeans' book series in collaboration with Ben-Gurion University's Simone Veil Center.

• 2018

  Second revised and updated edition of 'Language, Thought, and Reality' published.

• 2016

  Published Yair Or's 'Creating a Style for a Generation'.

• 2014

  Published Avi Feldman's debut book 'Tape'.

• 2011

  Second revised and expanded edition of 'Bolo'bolo' published.

• 2010

  Began producing 'Ma'amal', the student journal of Sapir Academic College (until 2016).

• 2005

  Published Benny Ziffer's 'Aliyato Hashmayma shel HaOrech HaSifruti' and Malka Locker's bilingual poetry collection.

• 2004

  Published Benjamin Lee Whorf's 'Language, Thought, and Reality', edited by Yair Or.

• 2003

  Published Yiftach Ashkenazi's debut book 'Sipurei Mot Iri'.

• 2002

  Ov Publishing founded in April in Tel Aviv by Yair Or; first book 'Bolo'bolo' published.

Independent publisher of quality, experimental, and ideologically alternative literature and non-fiction, with a focus on language, society, and European integration texts.

• 2002

  Bolo'bolo

• 2004

  Language, Thought, and Reality

• 2003

  Sipurei Mot Iri

• 2005

  Aliyato Hashmayma shel HaOrech HaSifruti

• 2005

  Shirim / Lider

• 2014

  Tape

• 2016

  Creating a Style for a Generation

• 2020

  For Europe

• 2021

  Konrad Adenauer: A European Statesman

• 2021

  Pan-Europa

• 2023

  United Europe: Challenge and Opportunity

• 2024

  Here is Europe: Israel and the European Union

• 2025

  Alcide De Gasperi: The Man from Trentino Who Rebuilt Italy and Founded Europe

1. 1הוצאת אוב - Official Websiteovpress.net
2. 2על ההוצאה | הוצאת אובovpress.net
3. 3Ov Publishing - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4אוב - ז.ע.פ. - Wikipedia (Hebrew)he.wikipedia.org