Houses of Study Tapped for High Honor

Ilana M. Blumberg has been named one of five finalists for the 2008 Sami Rohr Prize in Jewish Literature for her memoir, Houses of Study: A Jewish Woman among Books (University of Nebraska Press, 2007). The prize, to be awarded in spring 2008, carries a $100,000 purse, making it the largest prize of its kind in the field of Jewish literature. As stated on the Jewish Book Council Web site, "the prize honors an emerging author in the field of Jewish literature who has written a book of exceptional literary merit that stimulates an interest in themes of Jewish concern."

Set in “houses of study,” from a Jewish grammar school and high school to a Jerusalem yeshiva for women to a secular American university, Blumberg’s memoir asks, in an intimate and poignant manner: what happens when the traditional Jewish ideal of learning asserts itself in a body that is female—a body directed by that same tradition toward a life of modesty, early marriage, and motherhood?

Ilana M. Blumberg is an assistant professor of humanities, culture, and writing at James Madison College, Michigan State University.

You can find an extended description of Houses of Study, praise, and an excerpt on the book’s Web page, located here.

The University of Nebraska Press offers a hearty congratulations to Ilana M. Blumberg for this impressive achievement!