Literatureבני ציפר

Benny Ziffer

Benny Ziffer is an Israeli writer, poet, translator and journalist who edited the culture and literature section of the newspaper Haaretz.

born 1953Editing Haaretz culture and literature sectionTranslating French literature into HebrewControversial newspaper columns

Born: 21 January 1953, Tel Aviv
Occupation: poet, journalist, translator, writer
Education: Tel Aviv University

Benny Ziffer was born in 1953 in Tel Aviv

Benny Ziffer was born in Tel Aviv on 21 January 1953. His parents, Heinz and Nira, came to Israel from Turkey in 1949. His father was an electrical engineer from Vienna, and his mother was a doctor.

He grew up in the Afeka neighborhood and attended the Alliance high school. He earned a bachelor's degree in French literature at Tel Aviv University through the academic reserve program. He holds both Israeli and Turkish citizenship.

For many years he edited the weekend culture and literature section of Haaretz and wrote personal and television columns there. He published poetry and novels and translated French novels and poetry into Hebrew. His columns on sensitive subjects drew strong public reactions.

In March 2016 a column about artists and young fans caused public anger, and Haaretz removed his column after he apologized. From 2016 he presented a restaurant review segment on Channel 20, and in 2020 he joined the panel of the show The Patriots. The last issue of the section under his editing appeared on 2 October 2026.

He is married to the curator Irit Ziffer, and they have 3 children.