Literature

Sami Rohr Prize 2026 shortlist highlights family survival and Jewish history

The annual award — which alternates each year between works of fiction and nonfiction and which honors emerging Jewish writers — is considered one of the most prominent awards in Jewish literature.

The four finalists for the 2026 Sami Rohr Prize are, from left, Shaul Kelner, Amir Tibon, Jordan Salama and Laura Hobson Faure.
Reading a torah scroll

'The Sacrificial Service': Leviticus has been mistranslated for centuries - review

Rabbi Danny Tropper, founder of Gesher.

'Agents of Change': American Jews and the transformation of Israeli Judaism - review

Title page of first edition of the Zohar, Mantua, 1558. (Photos: Wikimedia Commons)

'The Wisdom of Truth': Reaching the attic with a ladder to the Zohar - review


Mastering the short story: Twelve vignettes capture America’s Jewish world - book review

'You’ve Told Me Before,' proves, if proof were needed after her first wonderful foray into this specialized literary field, that Jennifer Anne Moses is a master of the short story genre.

Touro Synagogue, built in 1759, in Newport, Rhode Island, is the oldest synagogue building in the United States.

From Talmud to temptation: How erotica found a home in Orthodox Israel

Romance and erotica in literature, once niche, is growing in popularity among religious readers.

Romance and erotica novels are gaining popularity among religious women in Israel, with some rabbis quietly endorsing the genre for 'peace in the home.'

'Don’t Feed the Lion': Israeli, US journalists collaborate to tackle antisemitism in middle school

CULTURAL AFFAIRS: Keshet 12's Yonit Levi and CNN’s Bianna Golodryga, both respected journalists and Jewish mothers, came together to create a book they wished they found for their own kids.

‘DONT FEED the Lion’ follows three tweens in Chicago, siblings Theo and Annie, who are Jewish, and Gabe, who is part Korean, and examines how they are affected when Theo’s soccer-player idol tweets an antisemitic comment.

Philip Roth’s latest biographer wants Jews to read him again, without the guilt 

Stanford historian Steven J. Zipperstein had already begun work on the biography before the author died in 2018, arguing why Roth remains relevant and vital, especially to current Jewish discourse.

Steven J. Zipperstein said his training as a historian helped him separate truth from fiction in writing his biography of Roth.

In National Book Awards finalist, Jewish trans boy and golem team up to save the world

The novel, which is aimed for middle-grade readers, features a young Jewish transgender boy who teams up with a golem, a creature from Jewish folklore, to save the world from demons.

Kyle Lukoff in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 04, 2023.

Hebrew Union College, Ohio AG reach deal to protect 600,000 rare books, papers in Jewish collection

The collection contains Biblical codices, illuminated manuscripts, communal records, legal documents, scientific tracts, and incunabula.

 Hebrew Pentateuch (from 900-1188) written in typical Hebrew oriental book hand.

The Taliban bans women’s books - and too many Afghans applaud - opinion

Thinking naively that Afghans living in Dubai would be either refugees or have wised up - I asked one what he thinks of the Taliban. His answer? "Wonderful."

THE BLUE Mosque in Kabul.

Her Jewish grandfather’s shame inspired a prize-winning novel

Sasha Vasilyuk's debut novel, “Your Presence Is Mandatory,” won the $100,000 prize for a story inspired by her father’s father, a Jewish soldier in the Red Army.

Sasha Vasilyuk’s novel, "Your Presence Is Mandatory," was inspired by the story of her grand­fa­ther, right, a Sovi­et World War II sol­dier who nev­er talked about the war.

An unflinching look at a nation in verse

The Metula Poetry Festival will be held in Jerusalem next week.

EHUD BANAI will reflect on his work ‘The Book of Green Onions.’

'To Be Holy but Human': A look into the life ‘hesder yeshiva’ creator Rabbi Yehuda Amital - review

One of a kind: Rav Amital was that unique and unparalleled leader who lived at a time when he was needed the most.

Israelis carry the body of Rabbi Yehuda Amital during his funeral in Jerusalem, on July 09, 2010