Last month, I traveled to New York to receive the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. The ceremony was held at a stunning venue and I met the three Rohr children who instituted this prize in honor of their father, the famous Rabbi David Wolpe, the three finalists, and a lot of supporters of Jewish literature.

I was quite nervous about my speech, but it helped to have my husband and a few of my girlfriends in the audience. Apparently my husband teared up while I spoke, which was only the second time he’d ever teared up (the first was when he saw our first-born). If you’re curious, you can watch the speech and the ceremony here.

Sasha Vasilyuk accepts the award from George Rohr

I’m beyond grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience and the generosity of the Rohr family!

What I’m Reading

Fiction: Boy from the North Country by Sam Sussman is an autofictional novel about a son who returns to care for his dying mother and discovers the story of her turbulent romance with Bob Dylan, whose son he may or may not be. I met Sam at my Sami Rohr event in New York and highly recommend you pick up this novel.

Nonfiction: Chesnok by Polina Chesnakova is a gorgeous new cookbook featuring perfected recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

On my nightstand: Kaplan’s Plot by Jason Diamond about a Jewish-Ukrainian grandfather/Chicago gangster, Tell Me Yours I’ll Tell You Mine by Kristina Ten is a short story collection perfect for the spooky season.

I hope you’re enjoying the Fall season, wherever you may be.

xx Sasha