The top Jewish non-fiction books of the past year

The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, in association with the National Library of Israel, is a prestigious annual $100,000 award, which honours emerging writers whose fiction or non-fiction works engage with Jewish history, identity, culture, and experience. Established in 2006 by the family of philanthropist Sami Rohr, the prize is designed to support early-career authors and is considered one of the most significant awards in Jewish literature.

Awarded annually on a rotating basis between fiction and non-fiction, this year’s finalists are in the non-fiction category. The authors will be honoured at an awards ceremony celebrating the prize’s 20th anniversary. Here are this year's finalists.

Who Will Rescue Us?: The Story of the Jewish Children who Fled to France and America During the Holocaust – Laura Hobson Faure (Yale University Press)

As Europe stood on the brink of the Second World War, 10,000 Jewish children escaped to Britain in the Kindertransport, while only about 500 found a new home in France. There, they attempted to start a new life, only to face further danger as Nazi occupation spread across Europe.

Drawing on letters, diaries, survivor testimonies, and archival records, this deeply researched and emotionally resonant book follows the children as they are separated from their families, moved between refugee homes, and, for some, eventually finding safety in America. The book also examines the international rescue networks, that helped many of these children survive, including Jewish aid organisations, humanitarian workers, and ordinary families who risked their lives to provide shelter and support.