¶¶Òõapp

Call for Submissions

The Rabbi Sacks Book Prize is awarded to an author of a recently published or about to be published work of Jewish ideas deeply sourced in Jewish texts, with broad appeal within and beyond the Jewish community. The author of the winning work will receive a $10,000 prize, and two finalists will receive $2500 each.

The winner will be determined by an independent committee in cooperation with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy.

The winning author and finalists will be responsible to present public lectures organized by the Sacks-Herenstein Center.

Submission Guidelines

The Rabbi Sacks Book Prize has been created to recognize a work of non-fiction that contributes significantly to the arena of modern Jewish thought and heightens awareness of issues pertaining to the intersection of faith and modernity. This award recognizes the creative contributions and scholarship of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks in responding to major trends and issues of the day through the lens of Jewish values and Jewish texts.

The Prize is an acknowledgement of a work that explores contemporary Jewish life and practice and stimulates public conversations of seminal importance to the field of Jewish thought. The manuscript must hold a 2025 copyright.

All entries are to be nominated and submitted by a recognized publishing house in both a Word document and a PDF file by May 1, 2025.

Questions? Contact Dr. Shira Weiss: sweiss2@yu.edu

Who is Eligible?

Works by authors at any career stage are eligible for submission. Themes that qualify include but are not limited to:

•  Jewish thought and philosophy
• Ethics
• Jewish history
• Jewish education
• Jewish identity
• Contemporary Jewish practice/sociology
• Jewish peoplehood
• Israel (from a Jewish rather than geo-political perspective)
• Antisemitism

Textbooks are not eligible. Memoirs are only eligible if they present Jewish values and incorporate Jewish texts. Anthologies are not eligible.

The book may be published by an academic press but should be accessible to a general audience. The book cannot be a new translation of an already translated work or a reissue of an older work. 

Manuscripts will be evaluated according to the following considerations:

• Strong Jewish textual engagement
• Originality
• Profundity
• Style/Elegance of Writing
• Contribution to the field of Jewish thought
• Universality of ideas
• Intellectual/Spiritual accessibility
• Relevance to readers
• Analysis of important contemporary issue(s)
• Alignment with Rabbi Sacks' values and beliefs

Deadlines

Submission: Manuscripts should be submitted by May 1, 2025 (even if the book will be published later in 2025).

Announcement: The winner and two finalists will be announced in November 2025.

Finalists, who will be notified, must submit 6 hard copies to the committee.

If you would like to check the status of your submission, you may send an email to sweiss2@yu.edu beginning in July.  Please include the title of the book. Only the books which have been chosen as finalists will be emailed their status, unless you reach out via email for a status update. We will not pro¬vide feed¬back as to why or why not spe¬cif¬ic books are cho¬sen to be reviewed. Review copies become prop¬er¬ty of The Sacks-Herenstein Center and will not be returned, even at the author’s expense.

Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2024

The Sacks-Herenstein Center is thrilled to announce the winner and finalists of the Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2024, funded by the Rohr family.  

Winner: The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud  by Gila Fine  
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Gila Fine, .
The book is available for purchase through and .  

Finalist: Ethics of our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality by Shlomo Brody  
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, .
The book is available for purchase through  a²Ô»å .

Finalist: Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Covenants and Cross-Purposes by Berel Dov Lerner
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Dr. Berel Dov Lerner, .
The book is available for purchase through and .  

Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2023

Winner: Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams? (Ecco, 2023) Dr. Daniel Gordis .
Dr. Daniel Gordis, Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College, assesses how Israel measures up against its founders’ aspirations in Israel's Declaration of Independence. He discusses reasons for the establishment of the State, the flourishing Jewish and Israeli culture, the nation's economy, the Israeli-Arab conflict, the distinct form of Judaism that has emerged, and the nation's complex relationship with the Diaspora.
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Dr. Daniel Gordis, .
To purchase the book, .

Finalist: Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt (Koren, 2023) by Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, Dean of the London School of Jewish Studies. Rabbi Dr. Zarum presents thorough, reasoned responses, based on Torah and tradition, to some of Judaism's most challenging questions of belief, science and ethics.
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, .
To purchase the book, .

Finalist: Covenant and World Religions: Irving Greenberg, Jonathan Sacks and the Quest for Orthodox Pluralism (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization in association with Liverpool University Press, 2023) by Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Founder and Director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute. Rabbi Dr. Goshen-Gottstein analyzes the theological and social views of Rabbi Sacks and Rabbi Greenberg, as they advocated to change how Judaism sees world religions.
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein, .
To purchase the book, . (discount code ADISTA5)

 

Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2022 

Winner: Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation (Yale University Press, 2022) by Professor Daniel Matt.
A volume in Yale University Press’ Jewish Lives Series, Becoming Elijah traces how depictions of the prophet transform from the Bible to Rabbinic Judaism, Kabbalah and Jewish ritual. In a sophisticated, yet accessible manner, Matt, a scholar of Kabbalah, brings the prophet to life as he comprehensively chronicles the diverse references to Elijah from history and faith traditions. He explains how Elijah fills a need for hope and for justice; though his identity is variable, it is shaped by an ethical imperative that continues to inspire. 

To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Professor Daniel Matt about Becoming Elijah, . 
To purchase the book .  

Finalist: A Guide for the Jewish Undecided: A Philosopher Makes the Case for Orthodox Judaism (Koren, 2022) by Professor Sam Lebens. 
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Professor Sam Lebens about A Guide for the Jewish Undecided, . 
To purchase the book .

Finalist: Care and Covenant: A Jewish Bioethic of Responsibility (Georgetown University Press, 2022) by Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner. 
To listen to a podcast conversation between Dr. Shira Weiss and Rabbi Dr. Jason Weiner about Care and Covenant: A Jewish Bioethic of Responsibility, .
To purchase the book .

We congratulate all three authors whose books, diverse in genre and style, make impactful contributions to the field of contemporary Jewish thought.