Professor (emeritus) of Arabic literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he has taught since 1963. Chair of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Editor of the online edition of the Arabic-Hebrew dictionary by David Ayalon and Pessah Shinar. Served as the head of the Institute of Asian and African Studies and as dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University. Areas of research include: Sufi literature, modern Egyptian literature and Arabic lexicography. He holds a Ph.D. in Arabic literature from Harvard University (U.S.), received in 1964.