What Urim Publications does

Urim Publications is an independent, privately-held publishing house founded in 1997 by Tzvi Mauer and Moshe Heller, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel with a second operational office in Brooklyn, New York. The company specializes in publishing and distributing classic and contemporary Jewish books across eight defined subject areas — Jewish Thought, Spiritual/Meditative Works, Women and Judaism, Jewish Law and Modernity, Bible Commentary, Israel Studies, Modern Biographies, and Children's Books — and also distributes titles from KTAV Publishers and Devora Publishing/Penina Press, as well as the Israeli Economic Association's ECONOMIC QUARTERLY journal. Urim holds proprietary ISBN prefixes (978-965-7108 and 978-965-524) and maintains multi-volume scholarly series including the five-volume Torah Commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the six-volume Rabbinic Authority series on Beit Din decisions, and the Hebrew-language Halacha Bedaka series.

The product portfolio is overwhelmingly print-based: physical books, software titles, and videos/DVDs, with recent launches between 2024 and 2026 covering children's fantasy Haggadahs, personal-growth motivational titles, comparative-religion scholarship, Holocaust memoir, Israeli current affairs, and Hebrew-language halachic Q&A. The technology stack is conventional for a small independent publisher: a Miva Merchant-powered e-commerce webstore at urimpublications.com with wish lists, order tracking, account registration, and category/sitemap-driven SEO; no proprietary AI, API, SDK, or platform technology is disclosed or implied.

Urim operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model with 10-20% webstore discounts and regionalized US-dollar pricing, supplemented by a multi-layered trade-distribution network spanning IPG for US general trade, Ktav Publishing House for the US Jewish market, Jerusalem Books/Coronet Books for academic libraries, Kollel Bookshop in South Africa, and six UK booksellers. Customers fall into three segments — individual Jewish readers and scholars (primary), academic libraries (secondary), and Jewish institutions/synagogues (secondary) — with all revenue generated through one-time book sales at unit prices typically ranging $22-$35, no subscriptions or recurring contracts disclosed, and no external investors, parent company, or M&A activity in the source record.

Name

Urim Publications

Legal name

Urim Publications

Website

https://urimpublications.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urim Publications is an independent publishing house founded in 1997 that publishes and distributes classic and contemporary Jewish books across categories including Jewish Thought, Jewish Law, Bible Commentary, and Children's Books, serving individual readers, academic libraries, and Jewish institutions globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Reference & Study Tools Publishing (Commentaries, Concordances, Lexicons) (MPAJAHAL), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD), Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC), Children’s Religious & Values-Based Publishing (MPAJAFAL), Worship & Liturgy Publishing (Liturgical Texts, Missals, Service Books, Hymnals) (MPAJAHAE)

Keywords

• Jewish book publishing
• Religious literature
• Torah commentary
• Hebrew language books
• Jewish educational content

Headquarters

HQ city

Jerusalem

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sales of published books through their secure webstore, direct distribution to booksellers, and sales through trade distributors. Books are available in multiple languages including English and Hebrew, covering Jewish religious, educational, and cultural content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Urim Publications is an independent publishing house that produces and distributes Jewish religious and educational books across categories including Bible, Talmud, Hebrew language, Jewish history, children's literature, holidays, and prayer. In addition to publishing its own catalog of books, the company distributes titles from partner publishers such as KTAV Publishing and Devora Publishing, and also offers related software products, videos/DVDs, and the Economic Quarterly Journal.

Product overview

Urim Publications is an independent publishing house founded in 1997 by Tzvi Mauer and Moshe Heller, based in Jerusalem and New York, specializing in classic and contemporary Jewish books. The company publishes and distributes works across diverse categories including Jewish Thought, Spiritual/Meditative Works, Women and Judaism, Jewish Law and Modernity, Bible Commentary, Israel Studies, Modern Biographies, Children's Books, and Cookbooks. The company also distributes titles from KTAV Publishers and Devora Publishing/Penina Press. The product portfolio includes physical books, software, and videos/DVDs. Main product lines include multi-volume Torah commentary series (such as THE TORAH COMMENTARY OF RABBI SHLOMO CARLEBACH covering all five books), scholarly works on Jewish law (RABBINIC AUTHORITY series, HALACHA BEDAKA in Hebrew), the ECONOMIC QUARTERLY journal of the Israeli Economic Association, and diverse titles spanning Passover Haggadahs, biographies, ethics, and contemporary Jewish thought. The company uses ISBN prefixes 978-965-7108 and 978-965-524.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jewish book publishing catalog In-house catalog of Jewish religious and educational books published by Urim Publications, covering categories such as Bible, Talmud, Hebrew language, Jewish history, children's books, holidays, and prayer, sold to individual readers and institutions worldwide.
• Partner publisher distribution

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ktav Publishing HousecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKtav Publishing House handles Jewish market distribution in the US for Urim Publications.
• Torah Treasures BookstoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor in Hendon.
• Jerusalem the GoldenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor in London.
• Aisenthal's BookstoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor in London.
• LehmansminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor.
• Divrei Kodesh Judaica BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor in Edgware.
• Horowitz bookstoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distributor.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jewish Publication Society (JPS): Non-profit publisher of Jewish literature including the JPS Tanakh and commentary series. Direct peer in Jewish scripture, commentary, and educational publishing for both general and academic audiences.
• Devora Publishing / Penina Press: Jewish-interest publisher focused on women's and general Jewish readership. Direct peer in scope and audience; their titles are also distributed by Urim, indicating close commercial ties.
• Jewish Lights Publishing: Publisher of Jewish thought, spirituality, and inspirational titles for a broad Jewish audience. Comparable in spiritually oriented adult Jewish publishing, particularly for non-Orthodox and liberal denominations.
• ArtScroll / Mesorah Publications: Largest Orthodox Jewish publisher in the English-speaking world. Directly comparable to Urim Publications in target audience (observant Jewish readers), subject matter (Torah, halacha, Jewish thought), and distribution through Judaica bookstores.
• Yehuda Press / Gefen Publishing House: Israel-based publisher of English-language Jewish books including Holocaust memoirs, Israel studies, and religious titles. Direct competitor in the same niche of English-language Israeli-published Jewish literature.
• Magnes Press (Hebrew University): Israeli academic and Jewish-studies publisher. Comparable in producing scholarly Jewish and Israel-related works, including titles that compete for academic library budgets.
• Behrman House: Jewish educational publisher with strong presence in Hebrew language instruction, Bible, and Jewish studies curricula. Comparable to Urim's religious education, children's, and adult Jewish learning titles.
• KTAV Publishing House: Orthodox and academic Jewish publisher. Direct peer in religious and academic Jewish titles; KTAV also serves as Urim's US Jewish-market distributor, deepening the operational overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Rowman & Littlefield (Jewish Studies imprint): Major academic publisher with a substantial Jewish studies list including scholarly works on Judaism, Israel, and Jewish thought. Comparable in academic Jewish titles distributed to libraries, though it operates as part of a much larger publishing group.
• Schocken Books: Long-standing publisher of Jewish literature, classics, and thought. Comparable in subject matter (Jewish thought, Torah commentary, Israeli literature) but operates as part of the larger Knopf Doubleday/Penguin Random House portfolio, giving it broader distribution reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UrimPub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urim-publications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Urim Publications