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Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri and held for 491 days, much of that time in tunnels beneath Gaza, before being released on Feb. 8, 2025 as part of a negotiated deal.
By Shula Rosen
Eli Sharabi’s memoir “Hostage,” describing his abduction during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and his prolonged captivity in Gaza, was named Book of the Year by the National Jewish Book Awards, the Jewish Book Council announced Wednesday.
The annual awards program in the US, founded in 1950, honors English-language books of Jewish interest across a wide range of genres, including history, fiction, memoir, scholarship and children’s literature. Organizers said the recognition reflects the breadth of contemporary Jewish writing and the centrality of recent events in shaping current literary discourse.
Sharabi was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri and held for 491 days, much of that time in tunnels beneath Gaza, before being released on Feb. 8, 2025, as part of a negotiated deal. Upon release, he learned that his wife and two teenage daughters were murdered on Oct. 7 in their safe room. His brother, also taken hostage, was killed in captivity.
Sharabi’s memoir became a bestseller in Israel and was later published in English in the United States.
“This recognition means so much to me, not only personally, but for the memory of my family and all those we lost,” Sharabi said in a statement. “’Hostage’ is my testimony, a story of my survival, written so others could bear witness. I hope it helps ensure that what happened is never forgotten.”
Among other major winners, Pamela S. Nadell received the American Jewish Studies award for “Antisemitism, an American Tradition,” which examines manifestations of antisemitism in the United States from the colonial period to the present. Julia Ioffe won the autobiography and memoir prize for “Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, From Revolution to Autocracy.”
Jack Fairweather earned the biography award for “The Prosecutor: One Man’s Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice,” while Allison Epstein won for fiction with “Fagin the Thief.” Zeeva Bukai received the debut fiction prize for “The Anatomy of Exile.”
The Hebrew fiction in translation award went to “Dog,” by Yishay Ishi Ron, translated by Yardenne Greenspan. Sarah Hurwitz won in the contemporary Jewish life and practice category for “As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us.”
“Especially amid rising antisemitism and Jewish authors facing increased scrutiny, Jewish books have the power to create and sustain community,” said Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the Jewish Book Council, in a statement.
Award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in New York next month hosted by entertainer Jonah Platt.
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