On November 12, 2024, HE Frédéric Journès, Ambassador of France to Israel, elevated Israeli choreologist Naomi Perlov, artistic director of the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv, to the rank of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters. He also awarded the insignia of knighthood in the same Order to Israeli writers Dror Mishani and Bluma Finkelstein, as well as to Israeli translator Dorit Dalioth, for their exceptional contribution to literature and the Franco-Israeli cultural relationship.
The ceremony, organized at the French Residence in Jaffa, brought together personalities from the world of culture and relatives of those decorated.
In each of his praises, Ambassador Journès underlined the investment of the recipients in building bridges between France and Israel, celebrating literature and dance as places of dialogue and meeting between peoples: “France and Israel share a very strong attachment to culture and literature, which irrigate our common humanist values. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, through your respective journeys and commitments, for being ambassadors. »
Naomi Perlov is the artistic director of the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv. After studying dance at the Bat Dor school in Tel Aviv then at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, graduating from the Benesh Institute of Choreology with honors, she learned to “write dance”. She worked at the Paris Opera as a choreologist and repetiteur then joined Régine Chopinot’s Company in 1984. She works very regularly with the choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, whom she assists in his creations. Between 1994 and 1998, Naomi Perlov was co-artistic director with Ohad Naharin of the Batsheva ensemble in Tel Aviv. In 2009, she founded the professional dance program Maslool with Ofir Dagan and produced the 1/2/3 program with the Théâtre de la Ville. Since 2020, Naomi Perlov has been the artistic director of the Suzanne Dellal Center, which promotes dance in Tel Aviv.
Dror Mishani, novelist and thriller author, is recognized for his innovative approach to detective literature which combines suspense, psychology and exploration of human complexities. Translated into more than 20 languages, his work has won over an international audience, in particular with the Detective Avraham series which won several prestigious distinctions. His first novel, “A Disturbing Disappearance”, was adapted for the cinema by French director Eric Zonca, with Vincent Cassel and Romain Duris. As head of the creative writing program at Tel Aviv University, Dror Mishani plays a key role in training future generations of writers. Dror Mishani also contributed to the promotion of French literature by working as a translator and editor at Keter Editions. His love of French literature deeply influenced his work, as evidenced by his extended stay in France to study his favorite authors, including Balzac, in their original language.
Bluma Finkelsteinis a poet and academic living in Haifa, who contributes in an exceptional way to the influence of the Francophonie in Israel and around the world. Arriving from Romania at the beginning of the sixties, she intended for a career as a nurse but committed herself to learning French and studying French literature until obtaining a doctorate in letters. Professor Emeritus of Comparative French Literature at the University of Haifa, she is involved in local socio-cultural life as City Culture Advisor and member of the Board of Directors of the Beit Hagefen Jewish-Arab Cultural Center. His abundant work plays a significant role in bringing communities together and promoting cultural diversity and bears the mark of his attachment to the French language. Bluma Finkelstein is laureate of the “Benjamin Fondane International Prize for French-speaking Literature” (2002) and the President of the State of Israel Prize (2019). She has been a Knight of the National Order of Merit since 2007.
Dorit Dalioth began her career as a translator and interpreter after studying languages and translation in Brussels. Coming from a dual Franco-Israeli culture, Dorit Dalioth has put her passion for languages at the service of literature and the promotion of literary works between her two countries of heart. She is contacted by many French publishing houses to represent and promote their works in Israel. She has translated renowned authors such as Philippe Besson, Guillaume Musso and Léonor de Récondo. Her passion for comics led her to become the representative of Asterix, the most famous of the Gauls, in Israel. She also worked at the Town Hall of Caesarea, working on the twinning between Grasse and Pardess Hanna Karkour.
