(JTA) – Benjamin Balint won the 2020 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his book Kafka’s Last Trial: The Case of a Literary Legacy. The nonfiction work is an account of the controversial trial that determined the fate of Kafka’s manuscripts. The $100,000 prize, a program of the Jewish Book Council given to an emerging writer who demonstrates the potential for continued contribution to the world of Jewish literature, was announced on Monday, May 11.

Three finalists also will receive $5,000 each. They are Mikhal Dekel, for Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odessey; Sarah Hurwitz, for Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There); and Yaakov Katz, for Shadow Strike: Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power.

The Rohr Prize, which has been awarded annually since 2007, considers works of fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. It was created by the children of the late businessman and philanthropist Sami Rohr.