Journalist Amir Tibon wins Sami Rohr Prize for book on his family’s Oct. 7 survival

Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon was on Tuesday awarded the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his book “The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands,” which chronicles his and his family’s survival during the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

The book, which also won the 2024 National Jewish Book Award, recounts how Tibon’s father, Noam, a retired IDF major general, came to fight off the terrorists who had invaded the kibbutz and rescue his son, daughter-in-law, and two young granddaughters.

“It is an incredible honor to receive the Sami Rohr Prize and join the esteemed list of writers who have won this award over the past two decades. The mission of the Rohr Prize has never been more important, as we confront a rising tide of antisemitism around the globe and its unique ripples within the world of books and literature,” Tibon said, according to a statement by the Sami Rohr Prize.

“I’m grateful to the judging panel for choosing to recognize my work at this crucial moment,” he added.

The ceremony, which will be the 20th year the Sami Rohr Prize has been awarded, is planned for July 28 in Jerusalem.

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The Tibons’ story is well known in Israel and abroad, thanks in part to Amir’s book, and has been featured widely on the news, including in the United States, where Noam appeared on “NBC Dateline” and “60 Minutes.”

It has also been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, podcast interviews and a film, “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” that drew anti-Israel protests when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year.

The $100,000 prize, in association with the National Library of Israel, honors the work of emerging writers who examine and describe Jewish life, culture and identity.

Other finalists included Laura Hobson Faure, the author of “Who Will Rescue Us? The Story of the Jewish Children who Fled to France and America during the Holocaust,” about the complex rescue efforts for Jewish children who fled Nazi-occupied territories to France and later to the United States, and American sociologist Shaul Kelner, the author of “A Cold War Exodus: How American Activists Mobilized to Free Soviet Jews,” which details how activists used creative, grassroots tactics to convince the US government to pressure Moscow and allow emigration.

Contributing New Yorker writer Jordan Salama was also on the list for his book “Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story,” which was inspired by his family’s Arab-Jewish story and journeys through the Argentine Andes.

The Sami Rohr Prize and the National Library began their association in 2022, together developing joint programming and initiatives for authors. This year’s award focused on nonfiction works.

Jessica Steinman and JTA contributed to this report.

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