Zev Birger, longtime head of the Jerusalem International Book Fair, and Harriette Dorsen, general counsel for Bantam Doubleday Dell and then Random House, have both died.
Zev Birger, former chairman and the driving force of the Jerusalem International Book Fair, died Monday morning after being hit by a motorcycle on Saturday night in Jerusalem. Under Birger's guidance, JIBF became one of the most important, and unique, book fairs in international publishing.
Before becoming involved with JIBF, Birger's previous positions included executive director of the Economic Council on Printing and Publishing and head of the Paris office of film marketing for ICM. He is survived by his three children and nine grandchildren. His funeral is set for Tuesday in Jerusalem.
Dorsen died June 5, 2011 at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, Ct. Dorsen was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law and after working at the firm Lankenau, Kovner and Bickford, joined BDD as general counsel, a position she held at Random House following Bertlesmann's purchase of Random. In addition to her work at RH Dorsen was a strong support of First Amendment causes. She left Random in 2002 and became an executive at Plaza Construction Company. Contributions in her name may be made to the Women's Cancer Center at NYU Cancer Institute, 160 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016. The date of a memorial in Cornwall will be announced.
