• About

The Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy was founded in May 1996 in order to promote and augment the fields of Science Fiction and Fantasy (SF&F) in Israel (see Society’s goals below), and has been continuously active ever since. So far its activity included four annual conventions (Icon, Olamot, Meorot and Bidyon) spread throughout the year, monthly book clubs, lectures about SF&F and general science topics, premiere screenings of SF&F films, SF&F story-writing contests and much more. The Society has hosted many international guests such as authors Orson Scot Card, Neil Gaiman, Larry Niven, Guy Gavriel Kay, Steven Brust, Daryl Gregory, Tim Powers and Carol Berg, actors Chase Masterson, Dean Haglund and Claudia Christian, directors Avi Nesher and Roger Nygard and many others.

Up until 2008, the Society published a magazine called “The Tenth Dimension” featuring original and translated stories, book and movie reviews, articles and original artwork by artist Avi Katz. Since 2009, the Society publishes an annual collection of original speculative fiction called “Once upon a future”. The Society also maintains an online magazine – the Hebrew section of this very site – where one can find original and translated stories, book and movie reviews, articles and Society news.

Since 1999, the Society grants the annual “Geffen award” for both original and translated science fiction and fantasy literature, in memory of Amos Geffen, one of the Society’s founders and a prolific and influential SF&F translator. The “Einat award” is an annual story contest in memory of Einat Peleg, a young SF&F fan who took her own life. The contest is organized by the Society in collaboration with the Einat’s family.

The Society has two daughter organizations: AMAI (Anime & Manga Association in Israel) and Whedon Israel – fans of Joss Whedon’s work. The Society collaborates with other like organizations, including The Israeli Society for role-playing games, Israeli Tolkien Society, HPortal – Harry Potter for adults and others. The Society also collaborates with publishers, movie distributers, the Tel-Aviv Cinemateque, the Jerusalem Cinemateque, the Hebrew University, Biet-Ariela library and cultural center in Tel-Aviv and more, as well as with international SF&F related organizations.

The Society is a non-profit organization, whose budget is mostly based on membership fees and entry fees to the Society events when such a fee is applicable (many events are free). All of the Society’s activities are open to the general public. The Society management and all of its activities are performed by volunteers only.

If you wish to join us, volunteer to any of our activities or initiate a collaboration, please contact us.

The Society’s Goals are:

1. Promote and encourage SF&F in Israel.
2. Facilitate original SF&F writing, as well as other forms of original SF&F art.
3. Encourage an increase of SF&F translations into Hebrew.
4. Provide an overall framework for existing SF&F organizations, and help in the establishment of new ones.
5. Organize activities, on regular or occasional basis, in various places in Israel, including conferences, workshops, lectures, film screening, open discussions and more.
6. Maintain contacts with similar organizations abroad.
7. Publish and support the publication of SF&F as well as popular science magazines.
8. Promote the teaching of SF&F in schools, both as literature and as educational aid for science curricula.
9. Cooperate with any agency, including mass media, interested in SF&F, and maintain contacts with agencies at the forefront of scientific research in Israel.
10. Invite foreign SF&F writers to visit Israel.

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