Mifal Hapayis announces Sapir Prize winners

• Published date: 08 March 2024
• Author: HANNAH BROWN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The Sapir Prize for a Debut Novel was given to Ilana Rudashevski's Taska, published by Shtaim, which is about a family that immigrates to Israel from the Soviet Union in the '70s

The ceremony, led by Chen Amsalem-Zagori, took place in the presence of the Mifal Hapayis chairman, CPA Avigdor Itzhaki, and CEO Benjamin Dreyfus. Among the participants in the ceremony were musicians Idan Raichel, Zehva Ben and Jimbo J, along with the Children's Choir of Ofakim. Other residents of Ofakim were among the guests.

The winners were chosen by a judging committee headed by Oren Nahari, a journalist and lecturer who is the author of several non-fiction books.

Why Ofakim was chosen

Nahari commented on the decision to hold the ceremony in Ofakim, a city that suffered losses during the October 7 massacre by Hamas: "Ofakim... continues to remind us – and there is no person in the country who does not remember, is not aware – that we are in the midst of a crisis; in the midst of a war.

"And many times, when my friends and I discussed books – which book is better, which more reflects the country, Israeli society – we felt that it was strange, maybe even a little ridiculous to talk about books when at this very moment hostages are dying in the Hamas tunnels, at this very moment our soldiers are fighting against a brutal, bloodthirsty and criminal jihadist terrorist organization a few kilometers away from here, and are also fighting in the North, and other arenas," he said.

"But one of Israel's greatest strengths is – and always has been – Israeli culture, in all its...