Blima Books

Blima Books (Hebrew: ספרי בלימה) is an independent publishing house based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 2019 by Yossi Schweig and Avinoam Stillman. The press defines its mission as publishing "radical Jewish literature" — a term it traces to the Latin radix, meaning "from the root" — literature that grows out of the Jewish experience, analyzes the past, critiques the present, and heralds the future. Its catalogue spans scholarly essays, research editions, historical and imagined tales, and rebellions against fixed conventions in contemporary discourse. Blima Books is known for its distinctive visual style, inspired by Hebrew printing houses of the early 20th century. The press treats books not merely as texts to be read but as physical objects of design and aesthetic value, placing strong emphasis on production quality. Its books are typeset and designed by skilled designers and artists, with meticulous attention to typographic beauty. The press argues that in the digital age, there is no point in printing ugly books; the power of the text lies in the object, and aesthetics open a window to meaning. The press focuses on republishing old texts, primarily from the early 20th century, while maintaining an ongoing dialogue with Jewish tradition in its various forms. Its main series, "The Classic Series," is dedicated to the redemption of forgotten texts and the reprinting of essays and articles by Jewish thinkers from the early 20th century. It also publishes contemporary literature, poetry, and new research. Blima Books prints its books in small quantities and relies on external funding; its economic model is based on more popular books covering the cost of more niche publications. Its books are sold in independent bookstores in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as through student shops at the Hebrew University and Bar-Ilan University. Since 2025, the press has been managed by Yossi Schweig and is located in Jerusalem. The press was founded in 2019 (Hebrew year 5779) by Schweig (Jerusalem) and Stillman (Berlin), who were then master's students in the Department of Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Both continued to doctoral studies in the department under the supervision of Prof. Yonatan Meir, whose research and editorial approach to Jewish texts is reflected in the spirit of the press. The press's "diasporic" character, operating in Jerusalem and Berlin, has been noted as an interesting continuation of Jewish tradition and the cyclical nature of Jewish time.

Blima Books was founded in 2019 (Hebrew year 5779) by Yossi Schweig and Avinoam Stillman, who were then master's students in the Department of Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Both continued to doctoral studies in the department, writing their dissertations under the supervision of Prof. Yonatan Meir, whose research and editorial approach to Jewish texts is reflected in the spirit of the press. The press was founded in Jerusalem and Berlin, and since 2025 it has been managed by Schweig and is located in Jerusalem. The first book printed by Blima was "Likuttim" (ליקוטים), which included most of the short writings of Hasidism scholar Yosef Weiss, a student of Gershom Scholem, from archived materials and newspaper articles published in the 1940s and 1950s in the newspaper Haaretz. Already at this stage, Schweig and Stillman planned the visual line of the press and contacted the artist Tal Gargir, who studied book design at Bezalel, and from then on the design character of the press began to crystallize. The press stands out for its aesthetic approach, drawing inspiration from Hebrew printing houses of the early 20th century. It sees books not only as texts to read but also as physical objects with design and aesthetic value, with great emphasis on production quality. The press focuses on publishing old content, mainly from the early 20th century, while striving to maintain an ongoing dialogue with Jewish tradition in its various forms. The main series of Blima Books is "The Classic Series," which focuses on the redemption of forgotten texts and the reprinting of essays and articles by Jewish thinkers from the early 20th century. Within this framework, the press publishes texts with a religious flavor, such as the writings of Hillel Zeitlin and Aharon Shmuel Tamares. It also publishes political texts, such as Simone Weil's essay "Note on the General Abolition of Political Parties," research texts — such as Gershom Scholem's "Mitzvah HaBa'ah Ba'Averah" and Mordechai Giorgo Langer's "The Erotica of the Kabbalah" — and literary texts, such as a renewed edition of "Shkhol VeKishalon" (Bereavement and Failure). The press's approach is the editors' commitment to "textual redemption," alongside maintaining the tension between innovation and tradition. In the press's editions, an introduction is added that makes the text accessible to the modern reader, but fidelity to the source is emphasized — the press insists on minimalism in editing, avoiding excessive intervention in the original texts, and reducing footnotes and interpretive comments. The press also publishes texts by 21st-century writers and poets, such as Avishalom von Schliakh and Ruth Chava Feurstein, as well as works by contemporary scholars, including Yonatan Meir, Rachel Elior, Pavel Maciejko, and Shmuel Feiner. The press prints its books in small quantities and relies on funding from external bodies. Its economic model is based on publishing more popular books that cover the cost of more niche works. The press's books are sold in independent bookstores in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The press's series include: The Classic Series — historical essays of importance, alongside contemporary introductions; The Scientific Series — new and old research in Jewish studies; The Collage Series — contemporary essays and old essays never before printed; The Small Series — pocket-sized essays; The Belles-Lettres Series — prose; The Poetry Series — contemporary poetry; The Yiddish Translations Series — translations into Hebrew from Yiddish literature; and the "Olu LeShalom" Series — research in Kabbalah.

• 2025

  Press begins to be managed solely by Yossi Schweig and is located in Jerusalem.

• 2023

  Event marking three new books, including Gershom Scholem's 'Religious Nihilism', video on 'Kvish Ehad' channel (November 12, 2023).

• 2023

  Dror Mishani's article in Haaretz about the new edition of 'Shkhol VeKishalon' (December 12, 2023).

• 2022

  Article about the press published in Makor Rishon (August 15, 2022).

• 2019

  Blima Books founded by Yossi Schweig and Avinoam Stillman in Jerusalem and Berlin.

• 2019

  First book, 'Likuttim', published, featuring writings of Yosef Weiss.

Independent publisher of radical Jewish literature, reviving forgotten texts with a distinctive early-20th-century Hebrew print aesthetic.

• Likuttim

  First book published by Blima, featuring short writings of Yosef Weiss.

• Stories by Cynthia Ozick

  Selected stories by Cynthia Ozick, translated by Ashael Abelman.

• The Sitting in the Gardens (היושבת בגנים)

  New edition of Haim Hazaz's classic novel.

• Shkhol VeKishalon

  Renewed edition of Yosef Haim Brenner's novel.

• Religious Nihilism

  Work by Gershom Scholem.

• The Erotica of the Kabbalah

  Research by Mordechai Giorgo Langer.

• Note on the General Abolition of Political Parties

  Essay by Simone Weil.

1. 1Blima Books - ספרי בלימהblimabooks.com
2. 2אודותblimabooks.com
3. 3סיפוריםblimabooks.com
4. 4היושבת בגניםblimabooks.com
5. 5Blima Books - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6ספרי בלימה - Wikipediahe.wikipedia.org