National Jewish Book Awards | Jewish Book Council

Inaugurated in 1950, the National Jewish Book Awards is the longest-running North American awards program of its kind and is recognized as the most prestigious. The Awards are intended to recognize authors and encourage the reading of outstanding English-language books of Jewish interest.

Awards are presented in over eighteen categories, and the winning authors are celebrated at an annual gala in the year following the publication of the books under consideration. Past notable winners include Chaim Grade, Deborah Lipstadt, Bernard Malamud, Michael Oren, Chaim Potok, Philip Roth, Elie Wiesel, Jonathan Safran Foer, Deborah Dash Moore, and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso.

Join Jewish Book Council and the winners of the 75th National Jewish Book Awards!

The celebration, hosted by Jonah Platt, the award-winning podcaster and entertainer, will feature remarks from a selection of the 75th winners in addition to special guests of Jewish Book Council. Each ticket supports Jewish Book Council’s efforts to enrich, educate, and strengthen the community through literature.

75th National Jewish Book Awards

June 23, 2025

Submissions Are Open

Sept 12, 2025

Submissions Close

February 18, 2026

75th National Jewish Book Award Winners Announced

March 25, 2026

75th National Jewish Book Award Celebration

Submissions Are Closed

<a href="https://staging.jewishbookcouncil.org/sites/default/files/downloads/Packing-Slip-NJBA.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="22075" title="Packing-Slip-NJBA.pdf" target="_blank">Packing Slip for 75th NJBA Submissions</a>

Submit to the Mentorship Award

Click Here to Purchase Tickets to the 75th National Jewish Book Awards Dinner!

2025 Winners

Cover of Hostage

Jewish Book of the Year

Eli Sharabi; Eylon Levy, trans.

Cover of Antisemitism, an American Tradition

American Jewish Studies

Pamela S. Nadell

Antisemitism, an American Tradition

Cover of Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy

Autobiography and Memoir

Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy

Cover of The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice

Jack Fairweather

The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice

Cover of Dog

Book Club Award

Yishay Ishi Ron; Yardenne Greenspan, trans.

Cover of The Remembering Candle

Children’s Picture Book

Alison Goldberg

The Remembering Candle

Cover of As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us

Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice

As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us

Cover of The Anatomy of Exile

The Anatomy of Exile

Cover of Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature

Education and Jewish Identity

Modern Jewish Worldmaking Through Yiddish Children's Literature

Cover of Fagin the Thief

Allison Epstein

Fagin the Thief

Cover of Arthurs: Home of the Nosh: A Big Personality Cookbook of Delicious Jewish Favorites

Food Writing & Cookbooks

Raegan Steinberg

Arthurs: Home of the Nosh: A Big Personality Cookbook of Delicious Jewish Favorites

Cover of Dog

Hebrew Fiction in Translation

Yishay Ishi Ron; Yardenne Greenspan, trans.

Cover of Jews in the Soviet Union: A History Revolution, Civil War, and New Ways of Life, 1917-1930, Volume 1

Elissa Bemporad

Jews in the Soviet Union: A History Revolution, Civil War, and New Ways of Life, 1917-1930, Volume 1

Cover of People Without History are Dust: Queer Desire in the Holocaust

People Without History are Dust: Queer Desire in the Holocaust

Cover of Return to the Place I Never Left

Holocaust Memoir Award

Tobias Schiff; Dani James, trans.

Return to the Place I Never Left

photo credit Gabriela Bhaskar

Mentorship Award

Samuel G. Freedman

Cover of Honoria: A Fortuitous Friendship

Middle Grade Literature

Honoria: A Fortuitous Friendship

Cover of Living in Both Worlds: Modern Orthodox Judaism in the United States, 1945–2025

Modern Jewish Thought and Experience

Lawrence Grossman

Living in Both Worlds: Modern Orthodox Judaism in the United States, 1945–2025

Cover of Requiem & Other Poems

Aharon Shabtai; Peter Cole, trans.

Requiem & Other Poems

Cover of A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe

A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe

Cover of Golden Threads

Sephardic Culture

Ariella Aïsha Azoulay

Cover of A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe

Women’s Studies

A Woman Is Responsible for Everything: Jewish Women in Early Modern Europe

Cover of Uncertain Empire: Jews, Nationalism, and the Fate of British Imperialism

Writing Based on Archival Material

Elizabeth E. Imber

Uncertain Empire: Jews, Nationalism, and the Fate of British Imperialism

Cover of I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This: A Graphic Memoir

Young Adult Literature

I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This: A Graphic Memoir

2025 Judges

Michlean Amir

Nancy Bachrach

Judith Baskin

Ruth Behar

Ethan Berlin

Karen Berman

Joni Blinderman

Isaac Blum

Margaret Boyle

Tracy Brown

Ezra Cappell

Carie Carter

Jessica Chod

Rena Citrin

Daniel Cohen

Drew Cohen

Kenny Cohen

Seth Cohen

Dani Colman

Dina Danon

Allison Pitinii Davis

Rachel DeWoskin

Michael Dumanis

Zev Eleff

Evan Farber

Jonathan Fass

Malka Fleischmann

Eva Fogelman

Amy Friedkin

Omer Friedlander

Iddo Gefen

Jane Gerber

Geri Gindea

Marci Glazer

Joy Greenberg

Blu Greenberg

Bonnie Gurewitsch

Rachel Harari

Eli Havivi

Carolivia Herron

Carlie Hoffman

Joshua Holo

Jordana Horn Gordon

Rita Jacobs

Robin Judd

Alan Kadish

Sarit Kattan Gribetz

Marc Katz

Daniel Khalastchi

Rebecca Kobrin

Rachel Kranson

Carmel Krauss

Faye Landes

Fred Lazin

Alison Lerner

Linda Levi

Fred Levick

Sheri Levin

Judith Lieberman

Laura Liebman

Alice Manning

Joshua Mikutis

Debby Miller

Lisa Moses Leff

Karen Moss

Beverly Nadel

Stacy Nockowitz

Jeff Oliver

Amy Oringel

Harriet Parker Bass

Avinoam Patt

Hannah Pressman

Elliot Rabin

Deborah Rabner

Dana Raucher

Judith Rosenbaum

Matthue Roth

Shannon Sarna

Becky Vitas Schamis

Jonathan Sarna

Rachel Schultz

Marjorie Schuster

Lacey Schwartz

Alan Schwartz

Shai Secunda

Amir Shaviv

Karen Shawn

Alon Shaya

Lisa Silverman

Jill W. Smith

Amy Spungen

Elisa Spungen Bildner

Abe Steinberger

Linda Sterling

Lilian Stern

Lior Sternfeld

Violeta Stoplen

Elana Storch

Claire Sufrin

Cathy Sussman

Ruth Suzman

Magda Teter

Susan Tourial

Tevi Troy

Alex Troy

Debbie Turvey

Mike Uram

Jeffrey Veidlinger

A.R. Vishny

Ruth von Bernuth

Dov Weiss

Jane Weitzman

Lenore Weitzman

Alan Wiener

Evan Wolkenstein

James Young

Wendy Zierler

Etta Zimmerman

Naming Opportunities

There are naming opportunities for the following award categories

Middle Grade Literature
Visual Arts
Young Adult Literature

For further information about naming opportunities call Naomi Firestone-Teeter at (212) 201‑2921.