2024 J.I. Segal Awards Ceremony – DEC 3

Join us for the 2024 Jacob Isaac Segal Awards Ceremony, an evening honoring the exploration of Jewish themes in literature as well as recognizing the contribution of Jewish culture to a richly diverse contemporary Quebec. In 2024, we are proud to present two distinguished awards.

The first is for the Best Quebec Book on a Jewish Theme, which carries a prize of $5,000. This award celebrates the depth and diversity of Jewish-themed literature in Quebec.

Winner of the Best Quebec Book on a Jewish Theme: Marc Raboy

Marc Raboy’s Looking for Alicia: The Unfinished Life of an Argentinian Rebel (House of Anansi Press)
is a riveting personal journey of discovery that takes the reader into the terror of Argentina’s 1970s military dictatorship – a period that haunts the country to this day and had such a devastating impact on Argentina’s large and thriving Jewish community.

The second is the Dr. Hirsh and Dvorah Rosenfeld Award for Yiddish Literature, with a prize of $1,000. This award honours the enduring legacy and cultural significance of Yiddish literature.

Winner of the Dr. Hirsh and Dvorah Rosenfeld Award for Yiddish LiteratureL: Ber Kotlerman

Ber Kotlerman’s collection of stories, Samoyed, narrates his family’s saga of migration across generations and territories that stretch from Ukraine to Birobidzhan. Moving between realism and the fantastic, the stories offer an evocative, collective portrait of Soviet Jewry.

“These prizes are important to the Québec community for they not only allow the JPL to recognize important works that contribute to the enrichment of literature in a multi- faceted cultural Quebec, but also celebrate the Jewish vibrant and dynamic cultural heritage,” said Alain Dancyger, JPL Executive Director. “Literature reflects the human spirit and emotions in all its colours and complexity. These prizes, by bringing the community together, are wonderful opportunities to reward the immense power of the human mind and build a united community,” concludes Mr. Dancyger.