One of the signal achievements of Israeli culture since its very beginning has been the production of a rich and varied literature. This conference is dedicated to the examination of Israeli literature in its intersection with Israeli history. That is, we are interested in the way in which literature integrates, confronts, or ignores historical events of significance to the formation of Israeli (and Jewish) culture. Accordingly, we have invited to UCLA a distinguished and diverse group of writers, literary scholars, historians to reflect on the intersection of literature and history. At the heart of our deliberations stand a set of overlapping question: Can one write Israeli history today without paying careful attention to Israel's rich literary tradition? And can one write literature in Israel without feeling the heavy weight of history? Ultimately, we seek to explore in this conference the subtle relationships among literary creations, historical memory, and the society they reflect or mold.