Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature

The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature is a major Canadian literary award relaunched in 2016 and presented annually by Toronto's Koffler Centre of the Arts. The Awards honour the best Jewish Canadian writing in four categories, each with an annual prize of $10,000: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult and Children's literature, and History. A fifth $10,000 prize for Poetry is awarded every three years.

The Awards consider submissions from both print and digital sources (including books, e-books, graphic novels, digital storytelling, and a variety of media). Writers must be Canadian or the submission must have significant Canadian content. Writers must be Jewish or the submission must have significant or predominantly Jewish content.^[1]

A professional jury of three individuals working in the arts and media oversee the award selection process. The shortlist for the inaugural Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature was announced on September 15, 2016. The winners were announced on September 29, 2016.

History

The original Canadian Jewish Book Awards were founded in 1988 by Adam Fuerstenberg.

In 1994, the Koffler Centre of the Arts took over the Awards management. From 2004 to 2014 – with the support of a donation from Lillian and Norman Glowinsky – the Awards were renamed the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards.

In 2015, the Koffler Centre of the Arts put the Awards on hiatus for one year to reframe the program. The resulting Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature continues Fuerstenberg's original ambition, "bringing increased awareness of the Canadian Jewish canon to the public, as well as supporting and celebrating Canadian books and writers."^[2]

The Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature are supported by a donation by the Lillian and Norman Glowinsky Family Foundation.^[3]

List of winners and shortlists of the Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature

Year	Winners	Shortlists
2016 Jury: Pierre Anctil, Devyani Saltzman, Laurence Siegel	FICTION David Bezmozgis, The Betrayers NON-FICTION Mark Celinscak, Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Nazi Concentration Camp HISTORY Beverley Chalmers, Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women’s Voices under Nazi Rule CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Emil Sher, Young Man with Camera POETRY Daniel Goodwin, Catullus’s Soldiers ^[4]	FICTION David Bezmozgis, The Betrayers Joseph Kertes, The Afterlife of Stars Sean Michaels, Us Conductors Mireille Silcoff, Chez L’Arabe NON-FICTION Bob Bossin, Davy the Punk Mark Celinscak, Distance from the Belsen Heap: Allied Forces and the Liberation of a Nazi Concentration Camp Daniel J. Levitin, The Organized Mind Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Monkeys, Myths and Molecules HISTORY Beverley Chalmers, Birth, Sex and Abuse: Women’s Voices under Nazi Rule Andrew Cohen, Two Days in June: John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours that Made History Maria Noriega Rachwal, From Kitchen to Carnegie Hall: Ethel Stark and the Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra Ira Robinson, A History of Antisemitism in Canada CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Emil Sher, Young Man with Camera Shelly Sanders, Rachel's Hope Eva Wiseman, The World Outside Frieda Wishinsky, illustrations by Willow Dawson, Avis Dolphin POETRY Daniel Goodwin, Catullus's Soldiers Seymour Mayne, Cusp Word Sonnets Ruth Panofsky, The Collected Poems of Miriam Waddington Rachel Zolf, Janey's Arcadia
2017 Jury: Bob Bossin, Ami Sands Brodoff, Cary Fagan	FICTION Peter Behrens, Carry Me NON-FICTION Miriam Libicki, Toward a Hot Jew HISTORY Matti Friedman, Pumpkinflowers CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT Irene N. Watts and Kathryn E. Shoemaker, Seeking Refuge	FICTION Eric Beck Rubin, School of Velocity Peter Behrens, Carry Me Danila Botha, For All the Men (and Some of the Women) I’ve Known NON-FICTION Sarah Barmak, Closer: Notes from the Orgasmic Frontier of Female Sexuality Judy Batalion, White Walls David Leach, Chasing Utopia Miriam Libicki, Toward a Hot Jew HISTORY Max Eisen, By Chance Alone Matti Friedman, Pumpkinflowers Ester Reiter, A Future Without Hate or Need: The Promise of the Jewish Left in Canada CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Deborah Kerbel, Feathered Tilar Mazzeo and Mary Farrell, Irena’s Children Irene N. Watts and Kathryn E. Shoemaker, Seeking Refuge
2018 Jury: Beverley Chalmers, Joseph Kertes, Lee Maracle	FICTION Laurie Gelman, Class Mom NON-FICTION Julija Šukys, Siberian Exile: Blood, War, and a Granddaughter’s Reckoning HISTORY Hugues Théorêt, The Blue Shirts: Adrien Arcand and Fascist Anti-Semitism in Canada CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Deborah Katz, Rare is Everywhere	FICTION Bonnie Burstow, The Other Mrs. Smith Laurie Gelman, Class Mom Rebecca Rosenblum, So Much Love NON-FICTION Molly Applebaum, Buried Words: The Diary of Molly Applebaum Sarah Barmak Elaine Dewar, The Handover Julija Šukys, Siberian Exile: Blood, War, and a Granddaughter’s Reckoning HISTORY Roger Frie, Not in My Family: Germany Memory and Responsibility After the Holocaust Hugues Théorêt, The Blue Shirts: Adrien Arcand and Fascist Anti-Semitism in Canada Max Wallace, In the Name of Humanity: The Secret Deal to End the Holocaust CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Melanie Fishbane, Maud Kathy Kacer, To Look a Nazi in the Eye: A Teen’s Account of a War Criminal Trial Deborah Katz, Rare is Everywhere
2019 Jury: Ayesha Chatterjee, Melanie J. Fishbane, Eric Beck Rubin	FICTION Claire Holden Rothman, Lear's Shadow NON-FICTION Anne Michaels, Infinite Gradation POETRY Linda Frank, Divided HISTORY Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT Jonathan Auxier, Sweep	FICTION Claire Holden Rothman, Lear's Shadow Aaron Kreuter, You and Me, Belonging Natalie Morrill, The Ghost Keeper NON-FICTION Anne Michaels, Infinite Gradation Lezli Rubin-Kunda, At Home: Talks with Canadian Artists about Place and Practice Sarah Weinman, The Real Lolita POETRY Linda Frank, Divided Anne Michaels, All We Saw Suzannah Showler, Thing Is HISTORY Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy Robert Harris, Song of a Nation: The Untold Story of Canada’s National Anthem Sarah Wobick-Segev, Homes Away from Home: Jewish Belonging in Twentieth Century Paris, Berlin and St. Petersburg CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Jonathan Auxier, Sweep Cary Fagan, Wolfie and Fly: Band on the Run Ellen Schwartz, Princess Dolls
2020 Jury: Judy Batalion, Allan Levine, Shani Mootoo	FICTION Sarah Leavitt, Agnes, Murderess HISTORY Matti Friedman, Spies of No Country NON-FICTION Naomi K. Lewis, Tiny Lights for Travellers YOUNG ADULT/CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer, Broken Strings	FICTION David Bezmozgis, Immigrant City Sarah Leavitt, Agnes, Murderess David Szalay, Turbulence HISTORY Zelda Abramson & John Lynch, The Montreal Shtetl: Making Home After the Holocaust Matti Friedman, Spies of No Country Heidi J.S. Tworek, News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900–1945 NON-FICTION Naomi K. Lewis, Tiny Lights for Travellers Ayelet Tsabari, The Art of Leaving Diana Wichtel, Driving to Treblinka YOUNG ADULT/CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Kathy Kacer, Masters of Silence Edeet Ravel, A Boy is Not a Bird Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer, Broken Strings
2021 Jury: Zelda Abramson, Nathan Adler, Naomi K. Lewis	FICTION Sidura Ludwig, You Are Not What We Expected HISTORY Sharon Kirsch, The Smallest Objective NON-FICTION Myriam Steinberg, illustrations by Christache, Catalogue Baby: A Memoir of (In)fertility YOUNG ADULT/CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Gordon Korman, War Stories	FICTION Sidura Ludwig, You Are Not What We Expected Nessa Rapoport, Evening Carol Windley, Midnight Train to Prague HISTORY Sharon Kirsch, The Smallest Objective Paul Roberts Bentley, Strange Journey: John R. Friedeberg Seeley and the Quest for Mental Health Celia Rabinovitch, Duchamp’s Pipe: A Chess Romance--Marcel Duchamp and George Koltanowski NON-FICTION Rick Salutin and Gideon Salutin, illustrated by Dušan Petričić, Gideon’s Bible: A Father and Son Discuss God, the Bible, and Life Myriam Steinberg, illustrations by Christache, Catalogue Baby: A Memoir of (In)fertility Rachel Matlow, Dead Mom Walking YOUNG ADULT/CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Michelle Barker, My Long List of Impossible Things Gordon Korman, War Stories Helaine Becker, illustrated by Kari Rust, Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of

See also

• Canadian Jewish Book Award
• List of winners of the National Jewish Book Award
• National Jewish Book Award

References

1. "Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature re-launch with 5 prizes worth $10K". CBC.ca, February 23, 2016
2. "About". kofflerarts.org.
3. "Two Jewish Literary Awards Provide More Opportunities". Canadian Jewish News, March 8, 2016.
4. "Winners". kofflerarts.org.

External links

• Vine Awards for Canadian Jewish Literature
• Koffler Centre of the Arts