The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, in association with the National Library of Israel, is pleased to announce that Amir Tibon, author of The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel's Borderlands (Little, Brown and Company), is the winner of its 2026 award for nonfiction.
The $100,000 prize is awarded annually to an emerging author writing in or translated into English. In The Gates of Gaza, Tibon weaves together personal testimony, historical context and incisive reporting to chronicle the devastating events of October 7 and their impact on Israel's border communities. Through the story of his family and neighbors in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, he offers a powerful account of tragedy, resilience and survival while illuminating the broader realities of life along the Gaza border.
“It is an incredible honor to receive the Sami Rohr Prize and join the esteemed list of writers who have won this award over the past two decades. The mission of the Rohr Prize has never been more important, as we confront a rising tide of antisemitism around the globe and its unique ripples within the world of books and literature," said Amir Tibon. “I'm grateful to the judging panel for choosing to recognize my work at this crucial moment."
Speaking on behalf of the Rohr family, George Rohr said, “Our father knew what it meant to live through darkness and come out on the other side with his identity and hope intact. That spirit is at the heart of the Prize that bears his name-and it is at the heart of Amir Tibon’s extraordinary book. We warmly congratulate Amir, along with this year’s finalists, Laura Hobson Faure, Shaul Kelner and Jordan Salama, whose books illuminate the richness and diversity of Jewish life and history."
This year's finalists were selected from a distinguished shortlist representing the breadth and vitality of contemporary Jewish nonfiction:
Laura Hobson Faure, author of Who Will Rescue Us?: The Story of the Jewish Children who Fled to France and America During the Holocaust (Yale University Press), recounts the efforts of organizations and individuals who helped thousands of Jewish children escape Nazi-occupied Europe and find refuge in France and the United States.
Shaul Kelner, author of A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews (NYU Press), examines the movement that transformed the plight of Soviet Jews into a defining cause of American Jewish activism.
Jordan Salama, author of Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story (Catapult), blends memoir and historical investigation to trace his family's Syrian Jewish roots across South America, exploring questions of identity, migration and belonging.
“As we mark the twentieth anniversary of the Sami Rohr Prize, we are proud that a book like The Gates of Gaza stands at the center of this milestone. There are books that bear witness from a distance, and there are those like this one - written by someone who lived the story himself," said Debra Goldberg, Director of the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. “We are delighted to welcome Amir Tibon and this year’s finalists into the growing community of writers whose work has been recognized by the Prize over the past two decades."
The authors will be honored at a ceremony at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem on July 28.
About the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature: As the premier award of its kind, the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature recognizes the unique role of contemporary writers in the examination and transmission of the Jewish experience. The $100,000 prize is granted annually, for nonfiction and fiction in alternating years, to an emerging writer who demonstrates the potential for continued contribution to the world of Jewish literature. Inaugurated in 2006, the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature honors the legacy of Sami Rohr who enjoyed a lifelong love of Jewish learning and literature. www.samirohrprize.org.