معرفی
Joseph Benatov is a Lecturer in Foreign Languages and the Director of the Modern Hebrew Language Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, School of Arts & Sciences. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Jewish Studies Program, where he plays a key role in shaping curriculum and academic outreach.
His research focuses on Jewish identity, Holocaust memory, and Eastern European representations in American culture. He has written extensively on Jewish identity politics in Philip Roth’s early fiction, U.S. portrayals of life behind the Iron Curtain, and competing national narratives surrounding the survival of Bulgarian Jews during World War II. His work bridges literary analysis, historical inquiry, and cultural translation.
Dr. Benatov’s publications and translations reflect a strong interdisciplinary profile, with a particular emphasis on bringing Eastern European and Israeli literature to English-speaking audiences. His translation of the Bulgarian novel Zift and Israeli short stories and plays demonstrates his deep engagement with transnational literary exchange.
He is the author of a significant article featured in the anthology Bringing the Dark Past to Light: The Reception of the Holocaust in Postcommunist Europe, which analyzes the memorialization and contested narratives of the Holocaust in Bulgaria and other postcommunist states.
- Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, University of Pennsylvania
As a dedicated educator, he teaches Hebrew language courses at all levels, including Intermediate Modern Hebrew I and II (HEBR 053, HEBR 054). His teaching integrates linguistic training with cultural and historical context, particularly around Jewish life in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Dr. Benatov is also an accomplished literary translator. He translated the Bulgarian novel Zift into English and has rendered works by Israeli authors such as Etgar Keret, Hanoch Levin, and others into Bulgarian. His translations of plays by Hanoch Levin, Martin McDonagh, and Ethan Coen have been successfully staged in Bulgaria, indicating both artistic quality and cultural impact.
