From Java to Jerusalem
Researcher Spotlight: Prof. Ronit Ricci
Since 2013, Prof. Ronit Ricci has been the driving force behind the development of Indonesian studies at Hebrew University – the first and only program of its kind in Israel. Her research is fueled by a fascination with the ways language, literature, and culture intersect and influence one another. From interlinear translation and Javanese and Malay manuscripts, to colonial exile and the Islamic literary traditions of South and Southeast Asia, Ricci offers fresh perspectives that invite us to reconsider how cultures evolve and interact across time and space.
Written by: Keri Rosenbluh
Pioneering Indonesian Studies at Hebrew University
Prof. Ricci’s academic journey began at Hebrew University, where she completed dual B.A. and M.A. degrees in psychology and Indian studies. It was her mentor, Prof. David Shulman, who first encouraged her to explore Indonesia for her doctoral studies—a place she had never visited and knew little about. “The idea felt exciting and really spoke to me,” Ricci recalls, sparking a passion that would shape her academic career.
Today, Prof. Ricci serves as the Sternberg-Tamir Chair in Comparative Cultures and is a professor in the Departments of Asian Studies and Comparative Religion at the Faculty of Humanities. Since joining Hebrew University in 2013, she has been instrumental in establishing a distinctive niche for Indonesian studies within Israeli academia.
Now in its 12th year, the program offers courses in Bahasa Indonesia (beginning and intermediate), Southeast Asian literature, the history of Islam in the region, and Indonesian culture and history. Students can also participate in a weekly gamelan workshop, a traditional Indonesian musical ensemble, led by Dr. Amatzia Bar-Yosef in collaboration with the Department of Musicology. To further enrich the program, Ricci has invited international scholars to teach courses on topics such as politics, performing arts, gendered activism, Islamic popular culture, and Old Javanese.
In 2018-2019, Prof. Ricci led a research group at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies, focused on ‘New Directions in the Study of Javanese Literature.’ This year-long collaboration brought together seven scholars for deep academic exchange. “It was a transformative experience,” Ricci reflects. “We created a collaborative space at the Institute where ideas flowed freely, and we explored new approaches together.” As Israel’s only Indonesia-focused scholar, she acknowledges the value of such opportunities, noting, “It’s not always easy to work in isolation, so having this group was invaluable.” Their efforts culminated in contributions such as new courses, a wayang (shadow puppet theater) performance, and a book launch, alongside numerous cultural events focused on Indonesia. The group also jointly published an edited volume on Javanese literature and a reader that will facilitate familiarity with different Javanese genres, both in open access.
One of the program’s standout moments came in 2023, during its 10th-anniversary celebration. The milestone was marked by a series of activities, including an Indonesian film screening at the Jerusalem Cinemateque, a conference on Buddhism in Indonesia, and an Indonesia Day at the Botanical Gardens on the Edmond J. Safra campus. According to Ricci, these events were not only a celebration but also an effort to raise awareness about the program, both within the university and beyond. “Even after 10 years, many people don’t realize that Indonesian studies exists at Hebrew University, so these initiatives were as much about educating the public as they were about inviting them to engage with this unique field."
Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between Israel and Indonesia, Prof. Ricci’s longstanding collaborations with Indonesian scholars and universities have fostered meaningful academic exchanges. These include hosting Indonesian scholars at Hebrew University, inviting them to conferences, and engaging in online talks and discussions. With hopes to expand these academic exchanges in the years ahead, Prof. Ricci has not only built an engaging program but also created a modest-yet-dynamic hub for Indonesian studies in Israel—one that continues to inspire curiosity, collaboration, and cultural understanding.
Exploring Textual Microcosms
When not focused on Indonesian studies, Prof. Ricci is deeply engaged in her ERC-funded project, Textual Microcosms: A New Approach in Translation Studies. Ricci is one of 21 scholars from Hebrew University's Faculty of Humanities—approximately 10% of the faculty—to have received this highly distinguished grant. Her research examines interlinear translation—a bilingual genre where texts and their word-for-word translations appear in alternating lines on the same page. Although practiced across diverse societies for centuries, this precise, detail-oriented translation model remains surprisingly underexplored.
Bringing together international scholars and students—including those from Indonesia—from fields such as literature, translation studies, Islamic studies, and linguistics, the project investigates the cultural, linguistic, and intellectual choices involved in employing the interlinear model. “I like to call these translations ‘textual microcosms,’ because they are like small worlds that encompass many processes and encounters,” Prof. Ricci explains. The study also explores the visual and sonic dimensions of these texts, examining how they are experienced beyond the written word.
Focusing on manuscripts from the late 16th to 20th centuries, the research centers on the Indonesian-Malay world—a region spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, southern Thailand, and the southern Philippines. By analyzing interlinear translations—often in Arabic with translations into local languages like Javanese or Malay—the project sheds light on how religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions were adopted and adapted in the region. “These translations often follow the structure of the source language rather than the idiomatic flow of the target language,” Prof. Ricci explains. “Over time, these shifts influenced other spheres of language and writing, shaping broader linguistic and cultural practices.”
The project also tackles broader, more nuanced questions. For example, what sonic elements come into play when two languages, with vastly different sounds and pronunciations, meet on the same page? Why were certain texts chosen for this translation method? How did local traditions influence its practice? The team investigates the decisions translators made, particularly with Islamic texts but also Hindu-Buddhist and Christian ones, and how key religious concepts and terms were rendered into local languages—often introducing entirely new terms during periods of religious change. In addition, they examine how the same theological or narrative texts were translated and interpreted differently across regions and time periods, revealing fascinating shifts in cultural, intellectual, and religious priorities.
The Legacy of Exile
Prof. Ricci’s exploration of cultural, literary, and linguistic interplay is also evident in her earlier work on exile and diaspora, particularly in the context of the Sri Lankan Malays. Ricci’s journey into their history began rather unexpectedly, triggered by a footnote in a book about Muslims in South India and Sri Lanka. A brief mention of Javanese princes exiled to Sri Lanka during Dutch colonial rule piqued her curiosity. “I had never heard about this episode, even though I’d been studying Southeast Asia for years,” she recalls.
Unable to pursue the topic during her doctoral studies, Ricci revisited it during her postdoctoral fellowship in Singapore and in the years that followed, traveling to Sri Lanka on multiple occasions to uncover the story of this unique community.
The Sri Lankan Malays trace their origins to exiles from across the Indonesian-Malay world, including political prisoners, royals, scholars, slaves, soldiers, and servants sent to the island (then known as Ceylon) by the Dutch colonial administration. Over time, these diverse groups coalesced into a distinct community, preserving their language and literary traditions for centuries despite their small size and scattered population.
Ricci conducted extensive fieldwork—meeting families, recording oral histories, and searching for surviving manuscripts and documents. With support from the British Library’s Endangered Archives Program, she digitized these materials, creating an accessible and valuable archive for both scholars and the community. Her work has brought visibility to a neglected chapter of history, revealing a legacy that highlights the resilience and cultural richness of diasporic communities shaped by exile.
According to Ricci, Sri Lanka, with its deep cultural and religious significance, served as both a literal and symbolic site of exile—a theme central to her 2019 book, Banishment and Belonging: Exile and Diaspora in Sarandib, Lanka, and Ceylon. Known in Arabic as Sarandib, the island is said in Muslim tradition to be where Adam, the first human, fell to earth after his exile from paradise. In the Indian epic Ramayana, Lanka is the kingdom of demons where Sita, the heroine, is kidnapped and held in exile. Ricci explores how these narratives intertwine with the colonial-era displacement of Javanese princes and other exiles who eventually formed the Sri Lankan Malay community.
“What interests me is how this history is layered with displacement, identity, and memory,” Ricci explains. Her research traces how Malay writings and oral traditions reflect these layers of exile. She explores not only how the Malays navigated new environments while maintaining a connection to their roots, but also how their legacy of exile shaped their collective imagination and identity. In revealing their stories, Ricci inspires a deeper understanding of and appreciation for how cultures evolve over time.
To learn more about Prof. Ronit Ricci’s research, visit here or watch this video interview: Watch on YouTube.