On December 28, 2019 we lost an international icon and Ben-Gurion University treasure as well as a tireless voice for democracy, moderation and co-existence. Amos Oz was one of the great literary voices of the 20th and 21st centuries. He captured the essence and spirit of Israel like none other.

As a BGU professor, Oz was a major force in BGU’s Department of Hebrew Literature, helping to make it perhaps the best department of its kind in Israel. His archives can be found in BGU’s Heksherim: The Research Institute for Jewish and Israeli Literature and Culture. In 2014, the Amos Oz Initiative for Literature and Culture in Arad (a development town near Beer-Sheva) was made possible by the generous support of Americans for Ben-Gurion University President Toni Young and her late husband, Stuart z”l.

Amos often was a guest speaker at BGU’s annual Board of Governors, where he spoke passionately about his craft, BGU, the Negev, and his life working for peace and tolerance in Israel.

Here’s what Prof. Yigal Schwartz, the founding director of Heksherim, had to say:

“I’ve known Amos Oz for 30 years as a colleague and occasional editor. He was perhaps the best person I knew. He was incredibly generous – probably humanity’s best feature – and he was like an elder brother to me.

“Oz was like a beacon of light. He was a rare combination of a writer and a leader that we won’t see any longer. He was primarily responsible for the success and the caliber of talent today at Heksherim, where the Amos Oz Archives is located. At the Archives, there’s a map of the countries and languages where his literature was translated – all over the world. He was the best ambassador for Israel, for the Negev and for BGU.

“He understood that you couldn’t fulfill all your wishes as state and as a people, so he tried to find the middle ground. He knew how to listen. He felt the pain in other people. He always spoke very eloquently like he knew what he would say at the end of his thought.

“I loved him very much.”

Take a look at this wonderful video profiling Oz’s amazing life, work and dedication to BGU, including an interview with him.