Maya Bejerano

Maya Bejerano was born in 1949 in Eilon

Maya Bejerano was born in 1949 on Kibbutz Eilon. Her mother Lea was a children's nurse, and her father Leon, born in Bulgaria, was a Hashomer Hatzair activist who ran an X-ray institute in Jaffa. She grew up in Kfar Hittim and Jaffa, moved with her parents to Bat Yam, and studied violin and flute privately as a child.

After high school she served in the Israeli Air Force. She earned a B.A. in literature and philosophy at Bar-Ilan University, along with a teaching certificate. She later earned an M.A. in library science at the Hebrew University.

In Jerusalem she taught literature in evening high schools and worked at the National Library at Givat Ram. Editor Gabriel Moked published her first poetry book, Bat Yaana, in 1978, and nine more poetry books followed. In 1989 singer Shlomit Aharon released an album with 8 of her poems set to music.

She works at the Beit Ariela library, where she teaches poetry and leads workshops. She lives in Tel Aviv and has a daughter. Her awards include the Prime Minister's Prize, the Bialik Prize and the Newman Prize.