History of Israel
Rofé was born in Pisa, Italy in 1932. His father, Gersh Roifer was active in the Zionist movement and directed the maritime school of the Betar movement in Civitavecchia. His mother, Matilde Gallichi, taught classics at high school; she was descended from a family that had lived in Tuscany for generations. Before his death in August 1938, Gersh Roifer directed his wife to make Aliyah (immigration to the Land of Israel) with the children. In the fall of 1939 the family settled in the Land of Israel. Rofe' attended schools in various places in this country and graduated from the Ohel Shem high school in Ramat Gan. At the Hebrew University he studied Hebrew Bible and the History of Israel. His teachers in Bible were M.D. Cassuto, Y. Kaufmann, I.L. Seeligmann, S. Talmon, M. Weiss, M. Haran, S.E. Loewenstamm; in History of Israel – B. Mazar, A. Malamat, A. Shalit; in Assyriology – H. Tadmor, in Hebrew Language – N. H. Tur-Sinai, E.Y. Kutscher, Ben-Haim, S. Morag; in History of Religions – D. Flusser, R.J.Z. Werblowsky. Rofe' wrote his dissertation under the supervision of I.L. Seeligmann, obtaining his Ph.D. in 1970.