Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2025 Winners
Share
Yeshiva University’s Sacks-Herenstein Center has announced the winner and finalists of Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2025
This week Yeshiva University’s Sacks-Herenstein Center announced the winner and finalists of the Rabbi Sacks Book Prize 2025. The Sacks Book Prize perpetuates the legacy of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt”l by recognizing recently published literary contributions to contemporary Jewish thought. Winning books are chosen that reflect Rabbi Sacks’ unique blend of intellectual depth and accessibility, elegance, eloquence and relevance. Rabbi Sacks jokingly called himself a biblioholic and famously said, “I am addicted to buying books.” Reading books was a source of great pleasure. Writing books was an essential way for Rabbi Sacks to broadcast his ideas, making him a teacher of thousands.
The winner of this year’s prize is ”Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish Art of Constructive Disagreement” (Hodder Faith, 2025) by Daniel Taub. As a former ambassador and peace negotiator, Taub draws upon lessons from Jewish tradition to offer an approach to dealing with conflict that involves deep listening, embracing messy compromises, and engaging in dialogue with an understanding there may not be a single “truth.”
Two finalists have also been announced. “Renewing the Old, Sanctifying the New: The Unique Vision of Rav Kook” (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2025) by Professor Marc Shapiro and “As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us” (HarperOne, 2025) by Sarah Hurwitz. In an analysis of newly published writings of Rav Kook, first chief rabbi of pre-State Israel and revered thinker of religious Zionist ideology, Shapiro explores the contemporary relevance of Rav Kook’s teachings on important issues, including heresy, dogma and sacrifice, in the Jewish conversation. A celebrated White House speechwriter, Hurwitz examines how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity throughout history and how Jews can strip away layers of antisemitic lies to reclaim their tradition.
The Rabbi Sacks Book Prize Podcast features interviews conducted by Dr. Shira Weiss with the authors. Join her for a conversation with Sacks Book Prize winner Daniel Taub, on his book “Beyond Dispute: https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/1153631/Sacks-Book-Prize-PodcastDaniel-TaubBeyond-Dispute.
The Book Prize is judged annually by Lady Elaine Sacks, Dr. Robert George (Princeton University), Adam Kirsch (The Wall Street Journal), Dr. Daniel Rynhold (Bernard Revel Graduate School) and Dr. Shira Weiss (Sacks-Herenstein Center). Previous winners include Daniel Matt’s “Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation” (Yale University Press, 2022), Daniel Gordis’ “Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders’ Dreams?” (Ecco, 2023), and Gila Fine’s “The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud” (Koren, 2024).
“We are the People of the Book,” Rabbi Sacks declared. “However, I have always maintained that we are really a People of the Books.” Every winner and finalist of the Sacks Book Prize continues his legacy of writing and expands Judaism’s sphere of influence.
