Cynthia Gabbay

Cynthia Gabbay is a researcher at the Institute of Cultural History and Theory, Humboldt University of Berlin, and is completing her Habilitation at the University of Orléans, France. She is a multilingual poet, translator, and editor specializing in Jewish and Romance languages with primary affiliations in Jewish studies and Latin American research.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and ongoing Habilitation research at the University of Orléans.

• Ph.D.: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Habilitation: Rémélice Laboratory, University of Orléans

Gabbay's research explores Jewish diaspora experiences in Latin America through interdisciplinary lenses of translation studies, multilingualism, and historical memory. She investigates how cultural legacies are preserved through literature and bibliographic projects, with particular focus on Argentina's Jewish communities and transnational connections to Iberian history. Her work bridges literary analysis, archival research, and creative practice as a poet and translator.

Recent publications demonstrate a trend toward examining traumatic historical events through Jewish cultural frameworks, connecting Argentine Jewish settlements with Spanish Civil War narratives. This reflects growing scholarly interest in comparative diaspora studies and the role of literature in reconstructing fragmented histories.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Maurice Amado Foundation Fellowship at University of Pennsylvania
• German Research Foundation Project Grant for 'The Jewish Library in Argentina'
• New Frontiers in Contemporary Jewish Life Fellowship (2025-2026)

Gabbay coordinates the Network for the Study of Jewish Translation and Multilingualism and serves on the administrative board of the Latin American Jewish Studies Association (LAJSA). As editor-in-chief of the Latin American Jewish Studies Series (De Gruyter), she oversees scholarly publications while co-editing the journal Lingua Franca: The History of the Book in Translation. Her upcoming event 'Figuring Dystopia in 'Ho! Literary Magazine' (November 2025) continues her exploration of literary responses to historical trauma.

She founded and coordinates Simania: Salon Readings, creating platforms for multilingual literary exchange within the Latin American Jewish Studies Association framework.