Ayin Hillel (Hebrew: ע. הלל) was the pen name of Hillel Omer (4 August 1926 - 30 June 1990, Hebrew: הלל עומר), an Israeli poet and children's author.^[1]

Hillel Kotovitz (later Omer) was born in Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek in the Jezreel Valley to Binyamin and Shlomit Kotovitz. He fought in the Palmach during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. From 1954 to 1969 he was a landscape designer in Jerusalem. He designed the city's botanical and biblical gardens and continued to work in landscaping after moving to Tel Aviv.^[2] He was married to Zipporah Lerman, with whom he had three daughters, Tal Omer, Nuli Omer and Loulou Omer.^[3]

Ayin Hillel's work has been translated into English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Spanish, and Russian. Among his most famous compositions are "Why Does the Zebra Wear Pajamas" (1959) and "Uncle Simcha" (1964).^[4]

Ayin Hillel's poem, Hanesher (The Vulture), is written in Biblical Hebrew, but expresses the doubts and disillusions of the twentieth century.

In 1976, Ayin Hillel won the Fichman Prize. In 1990, he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his contribution to children's literature.^[5]

• Hebrew literature