Magnes

What Magnes does

Magnes Press (הוצאת ספרים ע"ש י"ל מאגנס) is the academic publishing house of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, named after Y.L. Magnes and operating from Jerusalem, Israel. Founded in 1929, the press publishes peer-reviewed scholarly books across a wide disciplinary range — humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, Jewish studies, history, philosophy, linguistics, religion, classical studies, and social work — in Hebrew, English, and other languages. It also publishes two flagship co-branded journals: Iyjun (a biennial philosophy journal co-published with the S.H. Bergman Center for Philosophical Studies, founded in 1945 by Martin Buber and others) and M'areakh (an annual Israeli psychoanalysis journal co-published with the Zigmund Freud Center at Hebrew University and the Israeli Psychoanalytic Society). The press serves primarily Israeli academic researchers, faculty, and students, with secondary reach to international Jewish-studies scholars and a broader Hebrew-reading educated public.

The company's revenue model combines two streams: one-time book sales (both print and electronic, priced roughly $18–$69 per title) and recurring annual journal subscriptions (~$77/year for journal print issues, with shipping to pickup points and international FedEx delivery). Distribution is conducted direct-to-consumer through the company's e-commerce website at magnespress.co.il, with self-pickup at the publishing house and promotional campaigns (49 ILS sale tier, 25% first-order discount). The site also offers audio and presentation-format versions of titles, indicating a deliberate multi-format strategy. Marketing is handled primarily in-house via the website, and the press maintains a visible award track record across Israeli and international humanities and history prizes. Ownership is institutional, with Hebrew University of Jerusalem serving as the parent entity; no private equity, venture, or external funding rounds were disclosed in the available data.

Name

Magnes

Legal name

הוצאת ספרים ע"ש י"ל מאגנס

Website

https://magnespress.co.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Magnes Press is the academic publishing house of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, publishing peer-reviewed scholarly books and journals in Jewish studies, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences via direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI), Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Academic book publishing
• Scholarly journals
• University press
• Jewish studies publications
• Humanities research

Headquarters

HQ city

Jerusalem

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (One-time Purchase): Physical and electronic books sold individually through the website. Customers purchase a specific title for a one-time fee.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Annual subscription model for academic journals (e.g., 'Iyjun' philosophy journal). Subscriptions include delivery to pickup point; additional options available including overseas FedEx delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Magnes Press is an academic publishing house that publishes and sells peer-reviewed scholarly books, e-books, and academic journals in Hebrew, English, and other languages, covering humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, Jewish studies, philosophy, and history. It generates revenue through one-time book purchases and annual journal subscriptions distributed via its own e-commerce website, with shipping within Israel and internationally.

Product overview

Magnes Press (הוצאת ספרים ע"ש י"ל מאגנס) is the publishing house of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It operates as a single unified publishing platform offering physical books, e-books, academic journals, and subscriptions. The core portfolio includes scholarly books across humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and Jewish studies, along with branded journals like עיון (philosophy) and מארג (psychoanalysis). Annual subscriptions provide ongoing access to journal publications. The company sells directly through its e-commerce website at magnespress.co.il.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physical Books Academic and scholarly books published in print format covering humanities, social sciences, Jewish studies, natural sciences, philosophy, history, and psychoanalysis, sold individually to academic and general readers through the Magnes Press website.
• E-books Digital versions of academic and scholarly books available for electronic reading and individual purchase through the Magnes Press website.
• Iyjun (עיון) - Philosophy Journal

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• S.H. Bergman Center for Philosophical Studies, Hebrew University in JerusalemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partner for the 'Iyjun' (עיון) philosophy journal, a peer-reviewed biannual journal published in partnership with the S.H. Bergman Center for Philosophical Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The journal was founded in 1945 by Martin Buber, Samuel Hugo Bergman, Julius Guttman, and Sinai Oka.
• Zigmund Freud Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis, Hebrew UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in publishing 'M'areakh' (מארג), an Israeli journal for psychoanalysis, a democratic peer-reviewed annual published in partnership with the Zigmund Freud Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
• Israeli Psychoanalytic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in publishing 'M'areakh' (מארג) journal, along with the Zigmund Freud Center, Hebrew University. Represents Israeli psychoanalytic practitioners and researchers.
• Hebrew University of JerusalemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner. The press is named after Y.L. Magnes and affiliated with the Hebrew University. The university serves as the editorial home for multiple journals and book series published by the press, including the 'Iyjun' philosophy journal and 'M'areakh' psychoanalysis journal.
• AMILAT – Israeli Association for Latin American Jewish ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in publishing the 'Judaica Latinoamericana' (vol. 10) book series, presented at the 18th World Congress of Jewish Studies held at the Hebrew University in August 2022.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Princeton University Press: Elite university press with strong humanities and social science list, including Jewish studies and philosophy titles. Comparable to Magnes in scholarly orientation and prestige positioning, though operating at much larger scale.
• University of Chicago Press: Major university press publishing books and journals across humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Comparable to Magnes as a university-affiliated scholarly publisher with peer-reviewed journals and award-winning scholarly books.
• Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Large academic publisher with extensive humanities and Jewish studies book and journal portfolio. Comparable to Magnes in subject breadth across humanities and social sciences, and in journal subscription business model.
• Cambridge University Press: Historic university press publishing academic books and over 400 peer-reviewed journals. Comparable to Magnes in mission, structure (university-affiliated), and product mix (scholarly books + journals), though vastly larger in scale and reach.
• Oxford University Press: The world's largest university press, publishing peer-reviewed academic books and journals across all major disciplines including humanities and Jewish studies. Directly comparable as a university-press-affiliated scholarly publisher with multilingual, global distribution.
• Walter de Gruyter: Major international academic publisher with deep humanities and Jewish studies journals list. Comparable to Magnes in publishing peer-reviewed journals (Iyyun, M'arekh) alongside scholarly books, with strong humanities focus.
• Yale University Press: Major U.S. university press publishing scholarly and general-interest books across humanities and social sciences. Comparable to Magnes as a university-press-affiliated scholarly publisher with award-winning titles in history and Jewish studies.

Direct peers

• Indiana University Press: Mid-sized university press known for Jewish studies, folklore, religious studies, and humanities list. Closely comparable to Magnes in size, scope, and mission — a regional/area-studies-focused university press serving both specialist and general readership.
• Brill Publishers: Dutch academic publisher with a deep catalog in Jewish studies, humanities, and social sciences, plus extensive peer-reviewed journals. Highly comparable to Magnes given overlapping focus on Jewish and religious studies scholarship and international academic audience.
• Mohr Siebeck: German academic publisher specializing in Jewish studies, theology, philosophy, and humanities journals. Closely comparable to Magnes in subject-matter focus (especially Jewish philosophy, Talmud, religious studies) and university-affiliated scholarly publishing model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Magnes