“We hope that, in reflecting Rabbi Sacks’ legacy, the prize will meaningfully deepen and broaden the impact of Jewish scholarship in the arena of contemporary Jewish thought,” said George Rohr.
The Rabbi Sacks Book Prize will be awarded to an author of a book published with a 2023 copyright of Jewish ideas deeply sourced in Jewish texts, with broad appeal within and beyond the Jewish community. The author of the winning work will be awarded a $50,000 prize. Additional funds will be used to help the author and the finalists promote their books through events, podcasts, marketing and book distribution.
The winner and two finalists will be determined by an independent committee in cooperation with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust based in the United Kingdom.
To read the submission guidelines for the Rabbi Sacks Book Prize: https://www.yu.edu/sacksbookprize
Sacks Book Prize 2022 Winner: Becoming Elijah (Yale University Press) by Daniel Matt
Sacks Book Prize 2022 Finalists: A Guide for the Jewish Undecided (Koren) by Sam Lebens
Care and Covenant: A Jewish Bioethic of Responsibility (Georgetown University Press) by Jason Weiner.
To listen to interviews with the authors on the R. Sacks Book Prize Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2091103
The Sacks-Herenstein Center, founded by Terri and Andrew Herenstein, is committed to the leadership development of students, communal leaders, educators and writers, inspired by Judaism’s wisdom and Yeshiva University’s core Torah values. Through a series of academic, communal, educational and literary initiatives, the Center cultivates values-based Jewish thought and training opportunities in the spirit of Rabbi Sacks’ wisdom. The Center identifies and grows emerging talent for positions of communal influence and impact. Graduates of its programs will lead in classrooms, boardrooms and the public sphere.