Written by Dr. Hillel Mali

About Dr. Hillel Mali

Dr. Hillel Mali is a Post-Doctoral Student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Hillel completed his PhD: "Descriptions of the Temple in the Mishna: History, Redaction and Meaning", under the supervision of the late Professor Aharon Shemesh, From whom he learned to see the hidden connections and developments in the halakhic literature from Qumran to rabbinic times.” He joined a research group led by Dr. Naphtali Meshel, "Thinking Rite: A New and Ancient Science of Ritual" at The Hebrew University, focusing on new comparative models for the analysis of ritual systems. Hillel is the recipient of the President's Scholarship for Outstanding Doctoral Students (2014-2018), Nathan Rotenstreich Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate Students (2016-2018), the Orion Center Research Scholarship (2018), and Riklis Prize for Academic Excellence in Jewish Studies (2018), and awarded a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship to pursue his research in the NYU Law School. He is a musician, and established the "Nigun Yerushalmi" ensemble – this group performs old Jerusalemite Music played on antique instruments. The Ensemble produced two albums and has had hundreds of performances in Israel and abroad seeking to excavate old layers of sound that in turn becomes a meeting between ages, religions and beliefs.