The Canadian Jewish Literary Awards recognizes the finest books with Jewish themes and subjects by Canadian authors in a variety of genres. It enriches and promotes Canadian Jewish writing and culture, enabling us to better understand our collective past, our shared present, and the world of the future. The Canadian Jewish Literary Awards does more than reward winning authors with a cash prize and a moment in the spotlight. It builds pride, not only in the individuals being honoured, but in the creative achievements that reflect Jewish themes and ideas.
Award Winners 2025
Fiction: Ayelet Tsabari for Songs for the Brokenhearted (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.)
The Irving Abella Award in History: Simon Rabinovitch for Sovereignty and Religious Freedom (Yale University Press)
Memoir: John Lorinc for No Jews Live Here (Coach House Books)
Poetry: Ruth Rifka for To All the Mirrored Doors of Beginning, a Journey Ending (Wipf and Stock Publishers)
Yiddish: Anna Miransky for Poem by Poem, Fable by Fable: Discovering My Father and Learning His Language (Wipf and Stock)
Youth: Sheila Baslaw and Karen Levine for The Light Keeper (Second Story Press)
Jewish Culture: Andrew Kear (Editor) for Mashel Teitelbaum: Terror and Beauty (Goose Lane Editions)
Biography: Ezra Glinter for Menachem Mendel Schneerson (Yale University Press)
Scholarship: Michael Beizer and Ann Komaromi for A Time to Sow: Refusenik Life in Leningrad, 1979-1989 (University of Toronto Press)
Learn more at https://cjlawards.ca/
Join us in the Al Green Theatre at the Miles Nadal JCC to honour the 2025 winners of the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards! Canadian and international authors will discuss their award-winning publications in Fiction, Jewish Culture, Biography/Memoir, Yiddish, and the Irving Abella Award in History.
Sunday, October 26, 2:00-4:00 pm, followed by a dessert reception and book sales/signings. Free – register to attend in person or to receive the recording!
For registration assistance, please call the Miles Nadal JCC Information Desk at 416-924-6211 x0 or email help@mnjcc.org.
