Steven Weitzman’s latest book, The Origin of the Jews: The Quest for Roots in a Rootless Age, was recently named the winner of the 2017 National Jewish Book Award in the Education and Jewish Identity Category. 

Dr. Weitzman, the author of several books that focus on the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Jewish culture, is the Abraham M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences, and also the Ella Darivoff Director of the Herbet D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at Penn.

Book awards in 20 categories are selected by the New York City-based Jewish Book Council. 

“I wanted the book to tell the story of a scholarly quest in a way that was helpful to readers beyond academia while staying true to the complexity of the issues involved,” Dr. Weitzman said. “I would be delighted if the book helps readers, Jewish or non-Jewish, think about their origins and their identity in a deeper way.”

The Jewish Book Award winners will be honored on March 6 at a dinner and ceremony in New York City.