For its third edition, the Literary Prize of the George Gershwin Lodge of B’nai B’rith France in memory of Alexandra Leyris was a great success. The salon of the town hall of the 9th arrondissement of Paris where the event took place welcomed 150 guests.
Among them was the presence of Grand Rabbi Moshe Lewin.
Patricia Waserman, president of the lodge, and Jean-Pierre Allali, creator of the prize and president of the jury, presented their diplomas to the two winners.
The 2023-2024 prize was awarded to Caroline Bongrand for her novel “Les Présences” (Éditions Denoël) which, through the story of a young autistic boy, traces the destiny of the Jewish community of Salonika, the “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.
The special prize was awarded to Marek Halter for his entire body of work.
Caroline Bongrand and Marek Halter discussed their personal journeys in their speeches before receiving their portraits painted by the painter Jean-Loup Othenin-Girard.
The Mazele trio took over, performing nostalgic Yiddish folk tunes, sung in chorus by an enthusiastic audience before a book signing session.
Previous winners Philippe Amar, Thierry Cohen and Frédéric Zeitoun were present. A great success.
