First held in 1963, THE JERUSALEM INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR [JIBF] is a unique biennial event which draws over 1200 publishers from more that 40 countries who display more than 100,000 books in different languages.

The year 1995 marked the first time we had participants from the Arab world, including Morocco, Egypt and Jordan, and they have continued to attend the JIBF in ensuing years. At the February 2005 JIBF, Palestinians, Arab and Israeli writers participated in a unique literary enounter attendedby numerous publishers, editors and writer from around the world.

One of the JIBF's innovations inaugurated in 1985 is its unique Editorial Fellowship Program which invites a group of young promising and talented editors to attend the Fair to meet and exchange ideas with their contemporaries. This program has become one of JIBF's strongest attractions and its members have forged professional relationships and personal friendships that have lasted through the years. In the light of the success of this program, JIBF has launched a parallel fellowship program for Literary Agents. Many of our Editorial and Agent Alumni have gone on to prestigious and influential positions in the publishing field, and several return each year to Israel to meet and mentor new "fellows".

One of the JIBF's important events is the awarding of the prestigious Jerusalem Prize to a writer whose work best expresses and promotes the idea of the "freedom of the individual in society". We are proud to have awarded The Jerusalem Prize to five writers who have also received the Nobel Literary Prize.