Nitza Ben-Dov - Biography

Biography

Nitza Ben-Dov was born in Tel Aviv to parents who were Holocaust survivors. Her father, Dov (Bernard) Fruchtman, was a teacher of literature and wrote a series of research studies on the oeuvre of S.Y. Agnon. Ben-Dov completed her secondary studies at the New High School (Tichon Hadash) in Tel Aviv in 1968. She served in the Israel Defense Forces (1968–1970) in the Nahal Brigade, at Nahal Golan.

Ben-Dov studied Hebrew Literature and Biblical Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 1970 to 1973 and received a teaching certificate in 1974. In 1974-1983, she did a Masters degree and doctorate at the University of California in Berkeley. Her doctoral dissertation was on dreams and psychology in the work of Agnon and Franz Kafka. She was an assistant professor at Princeton University from 1986 to 1989.

In 1989, she began to teach Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of Haifa, becoming a full professor in 1999. She has served as Editor-in-Chief of Haifa University Press/Zmora-Bitan (1996–2000) and as chair of the Academic TV channel (2001–2005).

Ben-Dov is married to Yosi Ben Dov, and has three children.