A. Folk Narrative series from the IFA collection
Between the years 1961 and 1978 a series of folk narrative compilations from the IFA collection were published. The main purpose of this series was to publicize recorded tales from Israeli storytellers preserved at IFA. The texts were attended by introductions, comparative commentary, details of the storytellers and their recorders, tales type keys, and folk literary motifs. Each compilation included an English language abstract. Forty-two compilations were published. The Haifa Museum of Ethnology and Folklore together with IFA published the first 35 volumes. The Center for Folklore Research of Hebrew University in Jerusalem published the remaining seven volumes.
B. IFA initiated publications
IFA initiated additional publications from its collection, edited by members of its scientific advisory council. Their purpose is to elevate the unique contributions of each specific ethnic group to Israel’s folk culture. Several of the compilations were translated to English, French and Spanish.
C. Additional scientific volumes from IFA'S collection
The Jubilee Book of IFA - The Power of a Tale
The Power of a Tale, The Jubilee Book of IFA.
Edited by Haya Bar-Itzhak and Idit Pintel-Ginsberg. Haifa: The University of Haifa 2008.
This book was published in honor of IFA’s 50th anniversary. It includes 55 tales from the Archives collection. These tales represent various genres, and display a wide spectrum of topics: Dispersion and Salvation, Exile and the Land of Israel, the Temple and Synagogues, Jews and Gentiles relations, Righteous and Rabbis, Historical events, Life cycle and Yearly cycle, Genders interactions, as well as central values of the narrating group such as Parents honoring and Hospitality. Other topics are Wisdom and Numskulls, Sacred relics, Pilgrimage, Demons, Dragons and Witches, Aliyah and Absorption, Establishing the Land of Israel.
The discussions following each tale were written by the principal folklorists and their students, making use of various research methods. The discussions point at refreshing, dynamic and active scientific research of folk literature in Israel; a field of research which does not rest on its laurels, in which a new generation of researchers expands and reinvigorates itself while relating to former teachings.
Folktales of the Jews
Folktales of the Jews Series
This series edited by Prof. Dan Ben-Amos and Prof. Dov Noy, is a compilation of IFA tales translated in English, and sorted according to the native Jewish Language spoken by the various ethnic groups.
Each tale is followed by scientific annotations and a broad discussion on its main topics, the cultural context, and its relation to international narrative types.
Three volumes have already been published:
Ben -Amos, Dan, (ed) Folktales of the Jews, Dov Noy, consulting editor. Ellen Frankel, series editor; Leonard J. Schramm, translator. Vol. 1, Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2006.
Ben -Amos, Dan, (ed) Folktales of the Jews, Dov Noy, consulting editor. Ellen Frankel, series editor; Leonard J. Schramm, translator. Vol. 2, Tales from the Eastern Europe. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2007.
Ben -Amos, Dan, (ed) Folktales of the Jews, Dov Noy, consulting editor. Ellen Frankel, series editor; Leonard J. Schramm, translator. Vol. 3, Tales from the Arab Lands. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2011.
