Eli Sharabi’s Hostage Wins National Jewish Book Award

In a powerful recognition of testimony, memory, and survival, Eli Sharabi’s memoir “Hostage” has been named Book of the Year by the National Jewish Book Awards.

The honor, announced by the Jewish Book Council, places Sharabi’s deeply personal account at the center of contemporary Jewish literature. The annual awards, founded in 1950, recognize English-language books of Jewish interest across genres ranging from history and fiction to memoir and scholarship.

Sharabi’s story is one that stunned Israel and the Jewish world. Abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre, he was held in Gaza for 491 days much of that time in underground tunnels. When he was finally released on February 8, 2025, he learned that his wife and two teenage daughters had been murdered in their home’s safe room. His brother, also taken hostage, was killed in captivity.

“‘Hostage’ is my testimony, a story of my survival, written so others could bear witness,” Sharabi said in a statement following the award announcement. “I hope it helps ensure that what happened is never forgotten.”

The memoir quickly became a bestseller in Israel before being published in English in the United States, where it has resonated strongly with readers seeking to understand the human dimension of October 7 and its aftermath.

Naomi Firestone-Teeter, CEO of the Jewish Book Council, emphasized the broader context of the award. “Especially amid rising antisemitism and Jewish authors facing increased scrutiny, Jewish books have the power to create and sustain community,” she said.

Sharabi’s recognition comes alongside a diverse slate of honorees. Pamela S. Nadell received the American Jewish Studies award for “Antisemitism, an American Tradition,” while Julia Ioffe won the autobiography and memoir prize for “Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, From Revolution to Autocracy.” Other winners included Jack Fairweather for biography, Allison Epstein for fiction, Zeeva Bukai for debut fiction, and Yishay Ishi Ron for Hebrew fiction in translation.

Yet it is Sharabi’s “Hostage” that stands at the heart of this year’s awards a testament not only to personal endurance but to the Jewish commitment to memory.

In honoring his memoir, the National Jewish Book Awards affirm that storytelling remains one of the Jewish people’s most enduring strengths. Through words, testimony becomes legacy. Through books, grief becomes remembrance. And through remembrance, the truth endures.

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