The annual Hebrew Book festival opens on Sunday, and activities are scheduled for Rabin Square in Tel Aviv after a seven-year absence due to security considerations. Dozens of stalls will operate in the square and in other major locations in the country.

The annual event began in 1961 and is an extension of Hebrew Book Day, which began in 1926. Approximately 700,000 people visited the various Book Week fairs throughout the country last year. Nearly 20 percent of the books sold during the week are in foreign languages, mostly English but also Russian and Arabic.