American-Born Israeli Poet Janice Silverman Rebibo Dies at 65
Janice Silverman Rebibo Image by Wikipedia
Known for her bold, vivid and often humorous poetic voice in English and Hebrew, the critically acclaimed American-born Israeli poet Janice Silverman Rebibo has died.
Janice Silverman Rebibo Image by Wikipedia
Rebibo, of Brookline, Mass. and Rehovot, Israel, died on March 11, after a year-long battle against cancer at the age of 65.
Over many decades, the bilingual poet and educator was widely published in Israeli newspapers and literary journals, and authored many books of poetry, including the 2014 English collection “How Many Edens.” Rebibo received the President of Israel prize and other awards for her 2007 collection, “Zara Betzion,” or “A Stranger in Zion.”
Rebibo also was highly regarded as the main translator into English of the works of the late noted Israeli poet Natan Yonaton.
Rebibo’s eclectic style evoked a strong sense of vulnerability and musicality, according to Israeli composer Matti Kovler, with whom she collaborated on the librettos for two of Kovler’s operas. “She had a great ear for puns and nuance,” Kovler told JTA.
In addition to her writing, Rebibo was a senior staff member at the Hebrew language institute Hebrew at the Center in Boston and had a long association with Hebrew College and was a 2014 scholar-in-residence at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis University.
Rebibo, who will be buried in Israel, is survived by her father, Henry Silverman, and two children.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
