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National Jewish Book Awards 2015

The 2015 National Jewish Book Awards went to Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism by Adam S. Ferziger (American Jewish Studies), Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl: Yiddish Letter Manuals from Russia and America by Alice Nakhimovsky and Roberta Newman (Anthologies and Collections) and After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring by Joseph Polak (Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir), with winners in 17 more categories. 58 books were finalists across 20 categories.

Winners

American Jewish Studies

  1. Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism by Adam S. Ferzigersource (opens in a new tab)

Anthologies and Collections

  1. Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl: Yiddish Letter Manuals from Russia and America by Alice Nakhimovsky and Roberta Newmansource (opens in a new tab)

Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir

  1. After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring by Joseph Polaksource (opens in a new tab)

Children's Literature

  1. Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya Simon and Richard Simonsource (opens in a new tab)

Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice

  1. All Who Go Do Not Return: A Memoir by Shulem Deensource (opens in a new tab)

Debut Fiction

  1. The Boatmaker: A Novel by John Bendittsource (opens in a new tab)

Education and Jewish Identity

  1. Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli by Ted Merwinsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. The Last Flight of Poxl West: A Novel by Daniel Tordaysource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Doomed to Succeed: The U.S.-Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama by Dennis Rosssource (opens in a new tab)

Holocaust

  1. The Crime and the Silence: Confronting the Massacre of Jews in Wartime Jedwabne by Anna Bikont, translated by Alissa Vallessource (opens in a new tab)

Jewish Book of the Year

  1. Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle For Israel, 1917 – 1947 by Bruce Hoffmansource (opens in a new tab)

Literary Achivement Award

  1. The Complete Works of Primo Levi by Primo Levisource (opens in a new tab)

Modern Jewish Thought and Experience

  1. Not In God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence by Jonathan Sackssource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Gabriel: A Poem by Edward Hirschsource (opens in a new tab)

Scholarship

  1. What’s Divine about Divine Law? Early Perspectives by Christine Hayessource (opens in a new tab)

Sephardic Culture

  1. Double Diaspora in Sephardic Literature by David A. Wackssource (opens in a new tab)

Visual Arts

  1. Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink: Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts by Marc Michael Epsteinsource (opens in a new tab)

Women's Studies

  1. Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women’s Voices Under Nazi Rule by Beverley Chalmerssource (opens in a new tab)

Writing Based on Archival Material

  1. The Burdens of Brotherhood: Jews and Muslims from North Africa to France by Ethan B. Katzsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitzsource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

American Jewish Studies

  1. Lincoln and the Jews: A History by Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapellsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Roads Taken: The Great Jewish Migrations to the New World and the Peddlers Who Forged the Way by Hasia R. Dinersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Young Lions: How Jewish Authors Reinvented the American War Novel by Leah Garrettsource (opens in a new tab)

Anthologies and Collections

  1. The Literature of the Holocaust by Alan Rosensource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The New Diaspora: The Changing Landscape of American Jewish Fiction by Victoria Aarons, Avinoam J. Patt and Mark Shechnersource (opens in a new tab)

Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir

  1. A Brief Stop on the Road From Auschwitz by Goran Rosenbergsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret, translated by Sondra Silverston, Miriam Shlesinger, Jessica Cohen and Anthony Berrissource (opens in a new tab)

Children's Literature

  1. Adam and Thomas by Aharon Appelfeldsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Farmer Kobi’s Hanukkah Match by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and Ron Isaacssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Safest Lie by Angela Cerritosource (opens in a new tab)

Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice

  1. Jews and Genes: The Genetic Future in Contemporary Jewish Thought by Elliot N. Dorff and Laurie Zolothsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Wise Aging: Living with Joy, Resilience and Spirit by Rachel Cowan and Linda Thalsource (opens in a new tab)

Debut Fiction

  1. After Abel and Other Stories by Michal Lembergersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Empire of the Senses: A Novel by Alexis Landausource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchellsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Ambassador by Yehuda Avner and Matt Reessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Book of Aron by Jim Shepardsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannahsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephronsource (opens in a new tab)

Holocaust

  1. Jewish Honor Courts: Revenge, Retribution, and Reconciliation in Europe and Israel after the Holocaust by Laura Jockusch and Gabriel N. Findersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps by Nikolaus Wachsmannsource (opens in a new tab)

Modern Jewish Thought and Experience

  1. Leaving the Jewish Fold: Conversation and Radical Assimilation in Modern Jewish History by Todd M. Endelmansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Grammar of God: A Journey into the Words and Worlds of the Bible by Aviya Kushnersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Secret of Chabad: Inside the World’s Most Successful Jewish Movement by David Eliezriesource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. In the Illuminated Dark: Selected Poems of Tuvia Ruebner by Tuvia Ruebner, translated by Rachel Tzvia Backsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Glad Hand of God Points Backwards by Rachel Menniessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Invention of Influence by Peter Colesource (opens in a new tab)

Scholarship

  1. Rabbis, Sorcerers, Kings, and Priests: The Culture of the Talmud in Ancient Iran by Jason Sion Mokhtariansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition by Benjamin S. Sommersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink: Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts by Marc Michael Epsteinsource (opens in a new tab)

Sephardic Culture

  1. Jews and Islamic Law in Early 20 th Century Yemen by Mark S. Wagnersource (opens in a new tab)

Visual Arts

  1. Ben Shahn’s New Deal Murals: Jewish Identity in the American Scene by Diana L. Lindensource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Roman Vishniac Rediscovered by Maya Bentonsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Power of Pictures: Early Soviet Photography, Early Soviet Film by Susan Tumarkin Goodman, Jens Hoffmann and Alexander Lavrentievsource (opens in a new tab)

Writing Based on Archival Material

  1. The Archive Thief: The Man Who Salvaged French Jewish History in the Wake of the Holocaust by Lisa Moses Leffsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. Audacity by Melanie Crowdersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankmansource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust by Michael Gruenbaum with Todd Hasak-Lowysource (opens in a new tab)

About the National Jewish Book Awards

Winners and finalists in every book category from Jewish Book Council's past-winners page for each year. Year is the award year JBC labels each list with, which is the books' publication year: the 2025 awards (the 75th) were announced in February 2026. Category names are JBC's as printed for that year, so they shift over time. JBC lists winners only for 2006, 2008 and 2009, and one finalist for 2007. Excluded: Lifetime Achievement, Mentorship and JBC Modern Literary Achievement awards, which honor people; the 2007 My People's Prayer Book series and the 2014 Jewish Lives series, which are series rather than single books. A book that won two categories appears once in each. Author fields name writers, or editors when a book has no writer; illustrators and foreword writers are left out.

Organization: Jewish Book Council. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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