HONORING EXCELLENCE
NURTURING TALENT
CONNECTING JEWISH VOICES ACROSS THE GLOBE
TOGETHER AS ONE
2026 NONFICTION FINALISTS
Laura Hobson Faure
Who Will Rescue Us?:
The Story of the Jewish Children who Fled to France and America During the Holocaust
Yale University Press
Shaul Kelner
A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews
NYU Press
Jordan Salama
Stranger
in the Desert:
A Family Story
Catapult
Amir Tibon
The Gates of Gaza:
A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel's Borderlands
Little, Brown and Company
"Make your bookshelves
your companions"
-Judah Ibn Tibbon-
THE PREMIER ANNUAL AWARD CELEBRATING JEWISH LITERATURE
INAUGURATED IN 2007 BY THE ROHR FAMILY
The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature honors the legacy of Sami Rohr z”l, who enjoyed a lifelong love of Jewish learning and great books.
As the premier award in the world of Jewish publishing, the annual prize recognizes the unique role of contemporary writers in the examination and transmission of the Jewish experience. The $100,000 prize is presented to an emerging writer who demonstrates the potential for continued contribution to the world of Jewish literature.
​
Finalists and winners of monetary prizes become Fellows in the Sami Rohr Jewish Literary Institute. Past winners have acknowledged the impact of the Prize on their careers and professional pursuits.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
Lilith's New Editor-in-Chief/CEO​
Translator
NJBA Book of the Year​
Book Launch: In conversation with Rabbi Aaron Potek​​
Reading, Parenting, and Torah
Interview on 'Breaking the Israeli Book Curse'
Discussing "Exploring Family Secrets Through Fiction"​
In Conversation with Mayim Bialik​​
"Writing, Identity, and the Struggle to Speak After October 7th"
LA Times Book Review of American Scary​​​​​
Hezbollah, updated edition​​
"The False Narrative of Settler Colonialism", The Atlantic​​
Natan Notable Books Winner​
NJBA Finalist​
In conversation with Maya Arad and Jessica Cohen​​​
Making Sense of a War
ELISA ALBERT,
ERIKA DREIFUS, MAX GROSS, ANNA SOLOMON
Smashing the Tablets​
"Readjusting Sights" on Jewish Review of Books​​
OREN KESSLER
"A Day of Love & Darkness"​​​
​​​​
Vancouver Writers Fest​​
"The God Who Dwells in Doubt"​​
NJBA Finalist​
NJBA Mentorship Award​
While Israel Slept book launch​​​
Goes Below the Borscht Belt
Abraham Lincoln and the Jewish Community​​
"A Need for Roots" in Jewish Review of Books
Winter Issue
MIKOLAJ GRYNBERG & SEAN GASPER BYE
Confidential, starred review in Publishers Weekly​
"October 7: The Return of History"
"Writing Out of Annihilation"​​
NJBA Finalist for Fiction
NJBA Book of the Year​
2025 NJBA Winner in Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice​
.png)
Carole King: She Made The Earth Move book launch
2025 Natan Notable Book of the Year
Israel Association of Writers in English (IAWE) Interview
The Many LIves of Anne Frank Publishers Weekly Cover Story and Starred Review
ELISA ALBERT
"An Invitation to the
Anti-Zionists"​​
"The Cost of the American Jewish Vote"​​
CONTACT
Debra Goldberg, Director:
T. +1-516-548-3921 | M. +972-52-333-8095 | F. +972-9-744-1180 | debra@samirohrprize.org