Ayelet Tsabari is the winner of the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) Jewish Fiction Award <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://jewishlibraries.org/jewish-fiction-award/__;!!KGKeukY!0ZW8hrxhCb7af7qINGIK27_6dh1BIlJPiu1CnhsA0f84xNgrG-zCgCf2Yz6SmbdW4kbalCPsohUI3Mj9alG1QIBNJwHCnxCc$ > for her novel Songs for the Brokenhearted, published by Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and an invitation to attend the 2025 digital conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries, June 23–26. Three honor books have also been recognized: The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad, translated by Jessica Cohen and published by New Vessel Press; Displaced Persons: Stories by Joan Leegant, published by New American Press; and Rules for Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore, published by Dell, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. The committee reviewed over 70 works of fiction originally written in or translated into English with significant Jewish thematic content published in the United States in 2024. Thanks to all those who submitted entries for consideration. The wide array of books published in 2024 is a testament to the vibrant state of contemporary Jewish fiction. Songs for the Brokenhearted is a moving, literary experience. In this novel, author Ayelet Tsabari intricately weaves together three timelines and perspectives: Yaqub, a young Yemenite immigrant to Israel in the 1950s, immediately lovestruck by a woman singing by the river near the immigrant camp; Zohara, a PhD student in New York in 1995 increasingly disenchanted with her chosen research topic of Hebrew poetry; and her teenage nephew Yoni in Israel, struggling with his identity and grief following his grandmother's death. All three are bound by their shared history with Saida—Yaqub's love, Zohara's mother, and Yoni's grandmother. At its heart, Tsabari’s beautiful-tragic novel explores the complex dynamics of diasporic and Israeli Jewish identities, particularly Yemenite Jews, whose painful and often neglected history she illuminates with sensitivity and depth. As Zohara confronts the loss of her mother and discovers Saida's hidden voice through tapes of her singing, she embarks on a journey of emotional rediscovery and personal healing. “In its exploration of a tumultuous history through the lens of one family,” notes AJL Fiction Award committee member Hannah Srour-Zackon, “Songs for the Broken-Hearted is, above all, a celebration of Yemenite Jewish joy.” In the three novellas of The Hebrew Teacher, Maya Arad poignantly explores the loneliness and isolation experienced by three different Israeli women in America, each searching for connection in their personal and professional lives. In these stories, a professor grapples with disorienting changes in the department to which she has devoted forty years of her life; an unprompted visit exposes subtle tensions in family relationships; and a mother and daughter navigate adolescence and its challenges in the age of social media. Although Arad’s work is well-known in Israel, The Hebrew Teacher, translated by Jessica Cohen, provides a first glimpse for English-language readers into Arad’s beautiful prose, complex characters, and well-developed themes. Set half in Israel and half in the United States, the stories in Joan Leegant’s Displaced Persons explore themes of exile, belonging, and home. This profound and insightful collection gathers a myriad of stories Leegant has written over the years. Her characters, all displaced from their lives in a multitude of ways, are sympathetically portrayed during pivotal moments of transition and yearning. “This short story collection is a veritable tour de force with its kaleidoscope of vividly drawn characters, original and dynamic storylines, and the deftly woven combination of pathos, wit, and drama; it’s a compulsive read,” says Sarah Feldman, member of the AJL Fiction Award committee. In Shelly Jay Shore’s Rules for Ghosting, Ezra Friedman, a trans man who can see ghosts, returns to his family’s funeral home amidst personal and familial upheaval. As he navigates love and identity, he confronts both spectral challenges and the complexities of family life. Committee member Nicole Coover-Thompson notes, “Shore’s debut novel expertly weaves together the experiences of Jewish family life and the transgender journey, authentically portraying Jewish traditions while exploring complex themes of family dynamics, grief, and love. As Ezra navigates his transition, the expectations of his family, and a blossoming romance, his journey offers a poignant and at times humorous reflection on identity and belonging. With a richly detailed cultural backdrop and sensitive portrayal of both biological and chosen families, this book is a heartfelt celebration of self-discovery and the enduring connections that shape us.” The AJL Jewish Fiction Award committee members are Rena Citrin, Chair, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School (retired), Chicago, Illinois; Deborah Abacassis, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Nicole Coover-Thompson,Congregation Etz Chaim, Lombard, Illinois; Sarah Feldman, JBI Library, New York; Dina Herbert, AJL past president, Alexandria, Virginia; and Hannah Srour-Zackon, Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Montreal, Quebec. The Association of Jewish Libraries gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Dan Wyman Books for underwriting the Award. Submissions for the 2026 AJL Fiction Award (titles published in 2025) are now being accepted. For more information, please visit https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.jewishlibraries.org/jewish-fiction-award__;!!KGKeukY!0ZW8hrxhCb7af7qINGIK27_6dh1BIlJPiu1CnhsA0f84xNgrG-zCgCf2Yz6SmbdW4kbalCPsohUI3Mj9alG1QIBNJ_IJsARR$ .
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