Michael Dorfman


Michael Dorfman is a writer, essayist, journalist, human rights activist and activist of the Yiddish culture revivalist movement.

Career

He has written 600 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. 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 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.
In 1994, Dorfman established the NGO LaMerkhav 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
In 1999, he led an initiative with the Russian Panthers that turned Israel's public attention to the problems and racism faced by Russian children in public schools.
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.

Books