The 2024 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards, supported by the Israel & Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, has recognized seven winners for their contributions to Canadian Jewish writing and culture.
Celebrating its 10th year recognizing the best Canadian writing with Jewish themes and subjects, the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards have selected seven winners spanning fiction, poetry, history and more. This year’s honorees are:
Fiction: Let It Destroy You by Harriet Alida Lye
A novel, based on a real historical figure, that follows the story of a designer of an atomic bomb facing trial before the International War Crimes Court.
The Irving Abella Award in History: After the Nazis by Michael Kater
Kater's book examines the cultural history of West Germany following World War II and leading up to reunification in 1989.
Biography/Memoir: Those Absent on the Great Hungarian Plain by Jill Culiner
A mix of biography, memoir, travelogue and history, the book examines a small rural Hungarian village and its history, as well as an investigation into the long-ago disappearance of a once richly present Jewish population.
Poetry: Talking To Strangers by Rhea Tregebov
A collection of poems reflecting on ordinary life and all its emotions.
Yiddish: In the Land of the Postscript by Goldie Morgentaler
A complete collection of the short stories of Chava Rosenfarb, for the first time available in English, which explore the afterlife of Holocaust survivors in North America.
Children and Youth: Rising by Sidura Ludwig
A youth-friendly story about a Jewish mother's tradition making challah with her child.
Jewish Thought and Culture: Faithfully Seeking Franz by Elana Wolff
An account of the author's to learn more about famed modernist Frank Kafka – as a man, not just a writer.
The award winners will be recognized at a gala ceremony in Toronto on Oct. 27.