Ori Kritz (he: אורי קריץ) is an Associate Professor and head of the Hebrew Language and Literature program at the University of Oklahoma, a part of the Judaic Studies department.[1] She is a multilingual writer and speaker, specializing in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Jewish literature and in Jewish and Israeli humor.[1]

Dr. Ori Kritz at a Hebrew Club meeting.

Biography

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Kritz was born and raised in Israel. She studied at Tel Aviv University, earning a B.A. in Philosophy and Hebrew Literature in 1981 and an M.A. in Hebrew literature in 1986, with Professor Uzi Shavit as her thesis advisor. Her thesis is entitled Up Against Gloomy Skies: On Mordechai Tembkin's Poetry. At Tel Aviv University, she specialized in both modern and medieval Hebrew literature. She later earned an M.Phil. in 1991 and a Ph.D in 1993 from Columbia University; both degrees in Yiddish Literature. Her dissertation, entitled The Poetics of Anarchy: David Edelshtat's Revolutionary Poetry, covers thematic, prosodic, rhetorical and ideological aspects of American Yiddish ideological poetry. She was advised by Professor Benjamin Harshav[2] (Yale University).

Kritz has since taught at Emory University, Gordon College (Haifa), and the University of Oklahoma. Kritz is also featured in the 2005 film, The Hebrew Project.[3]

Publications

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Books

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  • The Poetics of Anarchy: David Edelshtat's Revolutionary Poetry, New York: Peter Lang, 1997 [2]
  • Sipurei hakibutz (The Kibbutz Stories). With R. Kritz. Tel-Aviv:Purah, 1997 [3]
  • Bedarkei hashirah (In The Paths of Poetry). With R. Kritz. Tel Aviv:Purah, 2001 [4]

Articles and book chapters

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  • "Sifrut hakibutz" (The Kibbutz Literature). Lexicon of the Kibbutz. Tel-Aviv:Yad Tabenkin, 1998.
  • "Bikoret atzmit-hevratit besipurav shel L. Shapiro." (Self and Social Criticism in the Stories of Lamed Shapiro). Iyun umechkar 6, 1999: 199-225
  • "Prayers of an Unbeliever: On Temkin's Secular Prayers." Trumah December 2000: 99-111
  • "Die Geschichte einer Wechselbeziehung: Zionismus, hebraeische Literatur und Kunst." (Story of a Dialectic Relationship: Zionism, Hebrew Literature and Art). With R. Kritz. Ein Leben für die jüdische Kunst. Gedenkband Für Hannelore Künzl. 2003: 195-214
  • The Biography and Personality of Rachel (Bluvshtein). (Part 3 of Shirei Rachel, shirat Rachel, Rachel), Tel Aviv:Purah, 2003 [5]

In addition to the publications listed above, Kritz has made numerous contributions to the Encyclopedia of American Jewish History[4][5] and The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ Tulsa Jewish Review article, p. 11, e.g.
  2. ^ Harshav bio at Yale
  3. ^ The Hebrew Project at IMDb
  4. ^ Eds. Steven Norwood and Eunice Pollack. Chicago: ABC Clio, 2007.
  5. ^ Articles: "Bovshover, Yosef"; "Communist-Anarchism"; "Edelshtat, David"; "Rosenfeld, Morris"; "Vinchevski, Morris"
  6. ^ Ed: Norman Stillman. Leiden and Boston: Brill Academic Publishers, 2008.
  7. ^ Articles: "Hakkak, Balfur"; "Hakkak, Hertzl"; "Kakkak, Lev"; "Shamosh, Amnon"; "Someck, Ronny"
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  • Kritz's faculty page with the Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies at the University of Oklahoma
  • Kritz's faculty page with the University of Oklahoma Modern Languages, Literature, and Linguistics Faculty