Michael Dorfman

Michael Dorfman was born Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR to a family of Boris Dorfman, a Jewish activist, scholar and journalist, and Betya Rechister, a Meritorious Teacher of the Ukrainian SSR.

He has written about 1200 articles and essays for periodicals, including publications in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, US, Belgium, Netherlands and Moldova.

He was an activist of the Yiddish culture revivalist movement among Russian Jewry.[1] Dorfman published three books and roughly 150 articles about the Yiddish Culture revivalist movement. He is an organizer of many festivals and cultural events in Russia and Ukraine.

He was first published in the Russian-Israeli magazine Kroog (The Circle) in 1983. Dorfman later worked as the publisher and chief-editor of the Russian-Israeli newspapers Negev and Aspects between 1992 and 1999. He pioneered print journalism for local Russian-speaking communities.[2]

In 1994, Dorfman established the NGO LaMerkhav ('At large' in Hebrew) which dealt with abuse, violence, and discrimination in Israeli public schools. Projects included a hotline for children, the Center for Monitoring Child Abuse, and support groups for schoolchildren who were victims of hate-motivated violence. LaMerkhav conducted unique projects for developing community leadership for young people[3]

In 1999, he led an initiative with the Russian Panthers[4] that turned Israel's public attention to the problems and racism faced by Russian children in public schools.[5]

In 2000–2009, he contributed to human rights and social justice groups in Israel and territories under Israeli occupation.

Texts by Dorfman are recommended in the Russian Jewish Schools Network.[6]

• Михаэль Дорфман, Евреи и жизнь. Холокост – это смешно? ISBN 978-5-17-053210-0, Second edition ISBN 978-5-9713-8228-7, ISBN 978-5-903925-03-2, ISBN 978-5-226-01028-6
• Михаэль Дорфман, Евреи и жизнь. Свастика в Иерусалиме ISBN 978-5-17-053211-7, Second edition ISBN 978-5-9713-8229-4, 978-5-903925-07-0, Third edition ISBN 978-5-226-00776-7
• Михаэль Дорфман, Евреи и жизнь. Холокост – это смешно? ISBN 978-5-17-055185-9, Second edition ISBN 978-5-9713-9695-6, 978-5-903925-10-0, 978-5-226-01029-3

• Biography published in the book Михаэль Дорфман, Евреи и жизнь. Холокост – это смешно? ISBN 978-5-17-053210-0 ACT, Moscow, 2008
• Biography, Quarterly review Nota Bene, issue 18 Jerusalem 2006.
• Biography at Jewish Literary Review Booknik, Moscow.