AJL
Bibliography Book Award
1992 Bibliography on Holocaust Literature by Hershel Edelheit, Abraham J. Edelheit1993 Spanish and Portuguese Jewry
This massive compilation represents the culmination of Robert Singerman's twenty-year project to bring under bibliographic control published material on one of Europe's most important centers of Jewish life and culture. With almost 5,500 citations, it supplements a similar number of sources in his foundation bibliography on the subject, The Jews in Spain and Portugal (1975). Together, the two bibliographies provide near-exhaustive coverage of materials on the Jewish experience in Spain and Portugal from antiquity to 1992, the quincentenary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. The present work comprises post-1975 publications and also incorporates earlier sources not previously documented. Classified into thirty broad areas and hundreds of historical and topical subcategories and special subjects, it culls from the literature of Jewish studies, Spanish and Portuguese history and literature, ecclesiastical history, social history, and many other fields and reflects a tireless analysis of the serial literature and of relevant content in books not specifically bearing on Judaic matters.
1995 Judaica Americana by Nathan M. Kaganoff
This reference work catalogs over seven thousand works on Jewish-American life and history.
1996 A Bibliography of Jewish Education in the United States by Norman Drachler
This tome documents existing literature on three centuries of Jewish education in the United States
1997 American Jewish Liturgies by Sharona R. Wachs
A collection of Jewish liturgical prayers from the 18th century to 1925.
1998 Solomon Ibn Gabirol by Isaac Goldberg1999 Printing the Talmud by M. J. Heller
A scholarly study of the individual Talmudic tractates published in the first half of the eighteenth century. It describes more than one hundred Talmudic treatises that were not part of a complete Talmud and discusses their printers and the associated rabbis. The circumstances surrounding the publication of several treatises reflect the turbulence of Jewish history. The subject matter encompasses the activities of many small Hebrew print-shops in Central Europe, as well as major centers such as Amsterdam.
More than one hundred and twenty-five reproductions of title and representative pages, many not previously reproduced, are included. The book, the only complete study on the subject in any language, addresses a lacuna in Hebrew history and bibliography. It is an important contribution to Hebrew bibliography and Jewish history.
More than one hundred and twenty-five reproductions of title and representative pages, many not previously reproduced, are included. The book, the only complete study on the subject in any language, addresses a lacuna in Hebrew history and bibliography. It is an important contribution to Hebrew bibliography and Jewish history.
Reference Book Award
1985 Josephus and Modern Scholarship, 1937-1980 by Louis H. Feldman1988 A History and Guide to Judaic Encyclopedias and Lexicons by Shimeon Brisman
1989 The Talmud
Provides the essential guidelines for Talmud study. Describes the historical background of the Talmudic period and the genius of the sages.
1993 The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer by MacY Nulman1995 Jewish American Women Writers
Even among scholars of Jewish literature, Jewish American women writers have been largely neglected, despite the enormous contribution they have made. This volume explores the extraordinary achievement of Jewish American women novelists, poets, and playwrights who have written in English. A reference work, composed mainly of entries arranged alphabetically by writer, the book provides a biography, bibliography, and survey of criticism for each, along with a critical analysis.
1996 A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Kingdom of Poland by Alexander Beider
Included in this collection of 30,000 Jewish surnames are their meanings and their predominant locations.
1997 Jewish Women in America by American Jewish Historical Society
An expansive, almost 2,000-page photographic reference of notable women in American Jewish history.
1998 Guide to the Yivo Archives by Marek Web, Fruma Mohrer, Yivo Institute for Jewish Research, Yivo Archives1999 Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova by Miriam Weiner
This reference book brings the history of the shtetls and towns of the Old Country to life for those seeking to uncover their Jewish ancestry, or are interested in Jewish life in Eastern Europe before the Second World War. Miriam Weiner is the first certified Jewish genealogist.
2000 History and Guide to Judaic Dictionaries and Concordances by Shimeon Brisman
The third volume in the series Jewish Research Literature is divided in 2 parts. 1 offers detailed descriptions of Judaic dictionaries, Part 2 deals with concordances.
SSC Shirley Kravitz Children's Book Award
1969 The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
Hautzig tells how she was wrenched from her life in a wealthy Jewish family in Poland and deported to a Siberian village. In 1941, when she was ten, she, her mother, and grandmother were captured by the Russians and shipped by cattle-car to a forced-labor camp. There, the three of them manage to stay together and for four years survive the cruelties of starvation and the arctic winters.
1970 Our Eddie. by Sulamith Ish-Kishor
Teenaged Eddie tries to make up to his family for his father's lack of warmth and financial support, but seems doomed to tragedy at every turn.
1971 The Year by Suzanne Lange
An eighteen-year-old Texas girl leaves her family and friends to work on an Israeli kibbutz for a year.
Sydney Taylor Book Award
1973 Uncle Misha's Partisans by Yuri Suhl
A twelve-year-old Jewish boy joins a group of freedom fighters known as Uncle Misha's partisans and is given the chance to help them gain revenge on the Nazis.
1976 Never to Forget by Milton Meltzer
Meltzer, a well-known non-fiction writer, has created a moving account of what Jews suffered during the Nazi's occupation of Germany. Using personal sources such as diaries, letters, and songs, Meltzer brings the horror of the Holocaust poignantly home to young readers.
1981 The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky
A story-within-a-story tells of a young Jewish girl's escape from Russia. Color illustrations accompany the text.
1982 Call Me Ruth by Marilyn Sachs
Set in 1908, this is the story of Rifka, the daughter of a Russian family that has recently moved to the United States. Determined to leave her past behind and become an "ideal American," Rifka is embarrassed by her mother's involvement with a garment workers union.
1983 Bubby, Me and Memories by Barbara Pomerantz1984 The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev
Based on the author's childhood, this is the story of a young Jewish boy's struggle to survive in a bombed-out Polish village during the Second World War. Eleven-year-old Alex has to live by his wits as he hides from the Nazis, searches for his father, and tries to find a way to safety and freedom.
1986 Joseph Who Loved the Sabbath by Marilyn Hirsh
Despite his poverty, Joseph celebrated the seventh day with joy.
1987 The Return by Sonia Levitin
Fifteen-year-old Desta belongs to a small, isolated mountain community of Ethiopian Jews. She and her brother and sister leave their aunt and uncle and set out on the long and dangerous trip to freedom -- an airlift from the Sudan to Israel, the Promised Land. They travel barefoot, facing hunger, thirst and bandits.
1988 Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Bored during a Passover ceremony and tired of her grandfather's constant reflection on the Holocaust, 12-year-old Hannah finds her self transported through time from America in 1988 to Poland in 1942. There Hannah finds that she is no longer Hannah, but a girl named Chaya who is being sent to a concentration camp.
1989 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
During the 1943 German occupation of Denmark, 10-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her family take great risks to give shelter to Annemarie's best friend, a Jewish girl named Ellen Rosen. Ellen assumes the identity of Annemarie's sister, but the Nazis are suspicious of this dark-haired girl in a family of blondes. As the Nazis move closer to discovering Ellen's true identity, Annemarie must find the courage to go on a dangerous mission that will help Ellen escape from Denmark. Winner of the 1990 Newbery Medal.
1990 The Chanukkah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel
Bubba Brayna is making delicious potato latkes in anticipation of her evening's guest--the rabbi--who is coming to celebrate Hanukkah. When the smell of her cooking awakens a hibernating bear, he follows the smell right into Bubba Brayna's house. Because she is 97-years-old and her hearing and eyesight are not very good, Bubba Brayna mistakes the bear for the rabbi wearing a nice warm fur coat. Will she figure out her mistake before the bear eats up all the latkes? Illustrated with watercolors.
1991 The Diamond Tree by Howard Schwartz, Barbara Rush
These are 15 Jewish tales spanning many centuries, mostly from the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Includes color illustrations.
1992 Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse
Set between 1919 and 1920, LETTERS FROM RIFKA tells the story of a 12-year-old Jewish girl who, along with her parents and her brother, attempts to escape persecution in her homeland of Russia. The family manages to flee to Poland, and from there, they plan to immigrate to the United States, already home to Rifka's three older brothers. Although the rest of her family is cleared to travel to America, Rifka, who has developed ringworm, is left behind in the care of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a group that eventually relocates her to Belgium, where she grows from a frightened child to a responsible young woman. Rifka still dreams of being reunited with her family, but before she can do so, she must face a dangerous sea journey and an extended stay at Ellis Island. Based on the author's own family history, LETTERS FROM RIFKA presents a historically accurate depiction of an immigrant's experience in the early 1900s, and is told via Rifka's letters to her cousin in Russia.
1993 The Uninvited Guest and Other Jewish Holiday Tales by Nina Jaffe
A beautiful book for children and adults to share and savor, this collection of charming folk tales introduces readers to all the major Jewish holidays and to the customs surrounding each one. Full color.
1994 The Always Prayer Shawl by Sheldon Oberman
As a young Jewish boy named Adam prepares to immigrate to the United States with his parents, his grandfather gives him a going-away gift--his prayer shawl. His grandfather explains to Adam that the prayer shawl was originally given to him by his own grandfather. Later, after growing up in America, Adam presents the prayer shawl to his own grandson. Color and b&w illustrations accompany the text.
1995 Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt, Mark Polizzotti
An elderly French woman recalls a sad event from her childhood in this picture book. The year is 1942 and Helen cannot understand why her Jewish friend, Lydia, must always wear a yellow star on her clothes. On the night of Helen's 9th birthday, Lydia is sleeps over but insists on being taken home early when the Nazis begin arresting Jews in the neighborhood. Helen, angry and uncomprehending, yells at Lydia "You're not my friend anymore!" After that night, Helen discovers that Lydia has disappeared and she never sees her again. Pastel paintings in sepia tones illustrate the text.
1996 Shalom, Haver by Barbara Sofer
A photo essay in English and Hebrew in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who died in 1995
1997 The Mysterious Visitor by Nina Jaffe
A collection of stories about the Jewish prophet, Elijah. Watercolor and aquarelle crayon illustrations accompany the text.
1998 Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli
When the Germans raid the movie theater, Roberto and Samuele's lives are greatly changed as they are sent to off to a work camp, yet having one another gives them great comfort until Samuele reveals a secret to Roberto that could get them both killed. Reprint. H. SLJ. PW.