The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature is an annual prize awarded to an outstanding

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...

work of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

interest by an emerging writer. Previously administered by the

Jewish Book Council The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; he, הספרייה הלאומית, translit=HaSifria HaLeumit; ar, المكتبة الوطنية في إسرائيل), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; he, בית הספרים הלא� ...

History

In 2006, the family of Jewish

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Sami Rohr honored his lifelong love of Jewish learning and great books by establishing the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature on his 80th birthday. The annual award, alternating between fiction and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

, seeks to promote writings of Jewish interest, and to encourage the examination of Jewish values among "emerging" writers. The $100,000 Prize honors an author whose work demonstrates potential for future contribution to the world of Jewish literature. All winners, Choice Award recipients, finalists, judges and advisors are Fellows in the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute. The winner and finalists are honored at an awards ceremony for fiction in New York; the event for non-fiction takes place in Jerusalem. The $100,000 prize is among the richest literary prizes in the world.

Eligibility and selection

Works are sought and nominated, with specific guidelines, by an advisory panel. The winner and finalists are selected by an independent group of judges, and all deliberations are strictly confidential. The Rohr family has no input or participation in the nomination or selection process. From 2007 through 2019, the runner-up award was called the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature Choice Award. The Choice Award was discontinued in 2020. Three finalists each receive a monetary prize of $5,000.

Translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

works are eligible. Eligible non-fiction works are restricted to the domains of

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, Jewish current affairs, Jewish scholarship, or contemporary Jewish life.

Finalists and winners

The gold medal () marks the winner, while the silver medal () marks the runner-up.

2022

The nominees were announced on April 26, 2022. The winners were announced on May 19, 2022. * ''Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure'' by Menachem Kaiser * ''From Africa to Zion: The Shepherd Boy Who Became Israel’s First Ethiopian-Born Journalist'' by Danny Adeno Abebe, translated by Eylon Levy * ''Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age'' by Ayala Fader

2020

The nominees were announced on April 3, 2020. The winners were announced on May 12, 2020. * ''Kafka's Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy'' by

Benjamin Balint Benjamin Balint (born 1976) is an American-Israeli author, journalist, educator, and translator. His 2018 book explores the literary legacy of Franz Kafka. Writing career Balint was assistant editor for ''Commentary magazine''. He contributes ...

* ''

Tehran Children ''Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey'' is a book by Mikhal Dekel published in 2019. In it Dekel reconstructs her father Hannan's journey as a child refugee fleeing Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. Hannan was one of nearly 1,0 ...

: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey'' by

Mikhal Dekel Mikhal Dekel is an Israeli-born author and professor of literature based in the United States, specializing in the theory of migrations, historical memoir, representations of trauma, and the overlap between law and literature. She teaches English ...

* ''Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life--in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There)'' by

Sarah Hurwitz Sarah Hurwitz is an American speechwriter. A senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama in 2009 and 2010, and head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama from 2010 to 2017, she was appointed to serve on the United States Holocaust Memo ...

* ''Shadow Strike: Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power'' by Yaakov Katz

2019

The nominees were announced on 1 April 2019. The winners were announced on 1 May 2019. * ''The Last Watchman of Old Cairo'' by

Michael David Lukas Michael David Lukas (born March 30, 1979) is an American author best known for his internationally bestselling novel, The Oracle of Stamboul, published by HarperCollins and translated into over a dozen languages. Michael's second novel, The Last ...

* ''The Words We Think We Know'' by

Dalia Rosenfeld Dalia may refer to: People * Dalia (given name), a given name and listing of people with the name * Dalia (Egyptian singer), of album ''Bahebak enta'' 1998 * Badrunnesa Dalia, Bengali singer known as Dalia Places * Dalia (oil field), an offshor ...

* ''The Weight of Ink'' by

Rachel Kadish Rachel Kadish (born August 12, 1969) is an American writer of fiction and non-fiction and the author of several novels and a novella. Her novel '' The Weight of Ink'' won the National Jewish Book Award in 2017. Personal life Born in New York ...

* ''Memento Park'' by

Mark Sarvas Mark Sarvas (born September 26, 1964) is an American novelist, critic, and blogger living in Los Angeles. He is the host of the literary blog The Elegant Variation and author of the novel ''Harry, Revised'' (Bloomsbury, Spring 2008). ''Harry, Rev ...

* ''Underground Fugue'' by

Margot Singer Margot Singer is an American short story writer and novelist. Her book ''The Pale of Settlement'' won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction in 2006 and her novel ''Underground Fugue'' was listed as "one of the most anticipated books by wom ...

2018

The nominees were announced on 30 April 2018. The winners were announced on 25 June 2018. * ''If All the Seas Were Ink: A Memoir'' by

Ilana Kurshan Ilana Kurshan is an American-Israeli author who lives in Jerusalem. She is best known for her memoir of Talmud study amidst life as a single woman, a married woman, and a mother, ''If All the Seas Were Ink.'' Personal life Kurshan was raised ...

* ''City on a Hilltop: American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement'' by

Sara Yael Hirschhorn Sara Yael Hirschhorn is currently the Visiting assistant professor of Israel Studies at Northwestern University. She was formerly the University Research Lecturer and Sidney Brichto Fellow in Israel and Hebrew Studies at the University of Oxford ...

* ''The Many Deaths of Jew Süss: The Notorious Trial and Execution of an Eighteenth-Century Court Jew'' by

Yair Mintzker Yair may refer to: *A spelling variant of the Jewish name Jair In the Biblical Book of Judges, Jair or Yair ( he, יָאִיר ''Yā’īr'', "he enlightens") was a man from Gilead of the Tribe of Manasseh, east of the River Jordan, who judge ...

* ''Jews on the Frontier: Religion and Mobility in Nineteenth-Century America'' by

Shari Rabin Shari may refer to: * In South Asia, women's clothing also known as sari or saree * In Buddhism, bead-shaped objects among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters, also known as Śarīra Japanese culture * Shari, deadwood on the main ...

* ''The Lost Book of Moses: The Hunt For The World’s Oldest Bible'' by

Chanan Tigay Chenan ( fa, چنان, also Romanized as Chenān and Chanān) is a state in Arkavazi Rural District, Chavar District, Ilam County, Ilam Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 146, in 29 families. The village is supprtd by Kurds ...

2017

The finalists were announced April 3, 2017. The awardees were announced May 3, 2017. * ''Ways to Disappear'' by

Idra Novey Idra Novey (born Idra Rosenberg) is an American novelist, poet, and translator. She translates from Portuguese, Spanish, and Persian and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Career Idra Novey is a novelist, poet, and translator. She is the author ...

* ''The Last Flight of Poxl West: A Novel'' by

Daniel Torday Daniel Torday is an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He serves as an Associate Professor and Director of Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr College. Career Torday graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 and continued his study under ...

* ''The Yid'' by Paul Goldberg * ''Inherited Disorders: Stories, Parables & Problems'' by Adam Ehrlich Sachs * ''The Bed Moved: Stories'' by

Rebecca Schiff Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

2016

The winners were awarded on 5 June 2016. * ''The Archive Thief: The Man Who Salvaged French Jewish History in the Wake of the Holocaust'' by

Lisa Leff Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), ...

* ''Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution'' by

Yehuda Mirsky Judah or Yehuda is the name of a biblical patriarch, Judah (son of Jacob). It may also refer to: Historical ethnic, political and geographic terms * Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel; their allotment corresponds to Judah or Jud ...

* ''Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel'' by

Dan Ephron Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa ** Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Iv ...

* ''The Grammar of God: A Journey into the Words and Worlds of the Bible'' by Aviyah Kushner * ''The Rag Race: How Jews Sewed Their Way to Success in America and the British Empire'' by Adam Mendelsohn

2015

The finalists were announced in January 2015. The awardees were announced in February 2015. * ''The Best Place on Earth'' by Ayelet Tsabari * ''The Lion Seeker'' by Kenneth Bonert * ''Panic in a Suitcase'' by Yelena Akhtiorskaya * ''The UnAmericans'' by Molly Antopol * ''A Replacement Life'' by

Boris Fishman Boris Fishman (born 1979) is an American writer. He is the author of the novels ''Don’t Let My Baby Do Rodeo'' (2016) and ''A Replacement Life'' (2014'')'', and ''Savage Feast'' (2019)''.'' Early life Fishman was born in Minsk, formerly the capi ...

2014

The finalists were announced on November 7, 2013. The winners were declared in January 2014. * '' The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith, and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible'', by Matti Friedman * ''Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism'', by Sarah Bunin Benor * ''Jews and Booze: Becoming American in the Age of Prohibition'', by Marni Davis * ''Embodying Hebrew Culture: Aesthetics, Athletics, and Dance in the Jewish Community of Mandate Palestine'', by

Nina S. Spiegel Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms *National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq *Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology *No income, n ...

* ''The Genius: Elijah of Vilna and the Making of Modern Judaism'', by Eliyahu Stern

2013

The winners were announced on April 9, 2013. * ''The Innocents'', by Francesca Segal * '' Leaving the Atocha Station'', by

Ben Lerner Benjamin S. Lerner (born February 4, 1979) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and critic. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a finalist for the National Book Award, a finalist for the National B ...

* '' The People of Forever Are Not Afraid'', by Shani Boianjiu * ''The Book of Life'', by

Stuart Nadler ''Wise Men'' is the debut novel of Stuart Nadler. It was published by Reagan Arthur Books on February 5, 2013. The plot of the novel follows Hilly Wise, who falls in love with Savannah, the niece of a black caretaker. ''Wise Men'' has receive ...

* ''Motti'', by

Asaf Schurr Asaf is a name. People with the name include: Given name *alternate spelling of Saint Asaph (died 601), Welsh Roman Catholic saint and bishop *Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab wazir of Awadh * Asaf Abdrakhmanov (1918–2000), Soviet sailor during World War ...

2012

The winners were announced on February 15, 2012. * ''When They Come for Us, We’ll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry'', by Gal Beckerman * ''Moses Montefiore: Jewish Liberator, Imperial Hero'', by Abigail Green * ''A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction'', by Ruth Franklin * ''The Benderly Boys and American Jewish Education'', by

Jonathan B. Krasner Jonathan may refer to: * Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

* ''The Most Musical Nation: Jews and Culture in the Late Russian Empire'', by

James Loeffler James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

2011

The winners were announced on March 24, 2011. * ''The Jump Artist'', by

Austin Ratner Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous cit ...

* ''A Curable Romantic'', by Joseph Skibell * ''Stations West'', by Allison Amend * ''The Cosmopolitans'',

Nadia Kalman Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: U ...

* ''The Invisible Bridge'',

Julie Orringer Julie Orringer (born June 12, 1973) is an American writer and lecturer. She attended Cornell University and the Iowa Writer's Workshop, and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. She was born in Miami, Florida and now lives in Brooklyn with ...

2010

The winners were announced on January 26, 2010. The judges were unable to decide on the top honour, so the prize was shared and the runner-up prize eliminated. * ''Jewish Renaissance in the Russian Revolution'', by Kenneth B. Moss * ''Plumes: Ostrich Feathers, Jews, and a Lost World of Global Commerce'', by

Sarah Abrevaya Stein Sarah Abrevaya Stein is an American historian of Sephardic and Mediterranean Jewries. She is the Sady and Ludwig Kahn director of the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, Professor of History, and holder of the Viterbi Family Chair in Mediterr ...

* ''Speaking of Jews: Rabbis, Intellectuals, and the Creation of an American Public Identity'', by

Lila Corwin Berman Lila or LILA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lila'' (album), debut album by American country music singer Lila McCann * ''Lila'' (movie), a 1968 sexploitation film * The Meaning of Lila, a comic strip written by John Forgetta and L. A ...

* ''Station Identification: A Cultural History of Yiddish Radio in the United States'', by

Ari Y. Kelman Ari may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ari (name), a name in various languages, including a list of people and fictional characters * Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572), Jewish rabbinical scholar and mystic known also as Ari * Ari (foo ...

* ''Surprised by God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion'', by Danya Ruttenberg

2009

The winners were announced on March 25, 2009. * ''One More Year'', by

Sana Krasikov Sana Krasikov (born Ukraine) is a writer living in the United States. She grew up in the Republic of Georgia, as well as the United States. She graduated from Cornell University in 2001 where she lived at the Telluride House, and from the Iowa Writ ...

* '' The Septembers of Shiraz'', by Dalia Sofer * ''The Book of Dahlia'', by Elisa Albert * ''The Rowing Lesson'', by Anne Landsman * ''Petropolis'', by Anya Ulinich

2008

The winners were announced on February 13, 2008. * ''The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit'', by

Lucette Lagnado Lucette Matalon Lagnado (September 19, 1956 – July 10, 2019) was an Egyptian-born American journalist and memoirist. She was a reporter for ''The Wall Street Journal''. Biography Lagnado was born to a Jewish family in Cairo, Egypt. She atten ...

* ''Houses of Study'', by Ilana Blumberg * ''The Price of Whiteness'', by

Eric Goldstein The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ai ...

* ''Churchill's Promised Land'', by

Michael Makovsky Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

* ''A Crack in the Earth'', by

Haim Watzman Haim Watzman (born 1956, Cleveland, Ohio), is an American-born, Jerusalem-based writer, journalist, and translator. Watzman was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. After receiving a B.A. from Duke University, Watzm ...

2007

The winners were announced in March 2007. * ''The Genizah at the House of Shepher'', by

Tamar Yellin Tamar Yellin (born 1963) is an English author and teacher who lives in Yorkshire. Her debut novel, first novel, ''The Genizah at the House of Shepher'', won the 2007 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. Biography Tamar Yellin was born and raise ...

* ''Our Holocaust'', by Amir Gutfreund * ''Not Me'', by Michael Lavigne * ''

Disobedience Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hen ...

'', by

Naomi Alderman Naomi Alderman (born 1974) is an English novelist and game writer. She is best known for her speculative science fiction novel '' The Power'', which won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017. Biography Alderman was born in London, the daugh ...

* ''Accidents'', by Yael Hedaya

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

* https://www.samirohrprize.org/ Awards established in 2006 International literary awards Fiction awards 2006 establishments in the United States