Dorothy Rosenberg Prize
The Dorothy Rosenberg Prize for the history of the Jewish diaspora recognizes the most distinguished work of scholarship on the history of the Jewish diaspora published in English during the previous calendar year. Eligibility will otherwise be defined quite broadly, to include books on any period and from any disciplinary field that incorporates a historical perspective.
In making its selection, the prize committee will pay particular attention to depth of research, methodological innovation, conceptual originality and literary excellence. Works that reinterpret old themes or develop new theoretical perspectives are welcome. Anthologies, encyclopedias and other edited volumes will not be considered. The current prize amount is $1,000. See the list of past recipients.
The general rules for submission are:
- Books with a copyright of 2022 are eligible for the 2023 award.
- Nomination submissions may be made by an author or by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish. Authors or publishers may submit the same book for multiple AHA prizes.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Rosenberg Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2023, to be eligible for the 2023 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2023 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2024 AHA annual meeting in San Francisco.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
2022 Rosenberg Prize
Michah Gottlieb, New York University
The Jewish Reformation: Bible Translation and Middle-Class German Judaism as Spiritual Enterprise (Oxford Univ. Press)
In a riveting work, Michah Gottlieb tells the story of “the Jewish Reformation”—namely, the endeavor to reconstruct a new form of Judaism grounded in German middle-class modernity. Gottlieb both unsettles and reconstitutes the boundaries between Protestantism and Judaism, and redefines, in original ways, such terms as Orthodoxy and Reform. This excellent work raises fascinating questions about how we read religious texts; what is specific about such readings and what is universal about them; and how translation, education, and novel understandings of culture and cultural production generate new exegetical practices.