The National Jewish Book Awards program began in 1950 when the Jewish Book Council presented awards to authors of Jewish books at its annual meeting. The first book awarded the prize was "Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam" by Harry Austryn Wolfson. Among the past notable literary winners are Sonia Levitin, Howard Fast, Chaim Grade, Samuel Heilman, John Hersey, Bernard Malamud, Cynthia Ozick, Chaim Potok, Arthur A. Cohen, Philip Roth, I.B. Singer, Michael Chabon, Lauren Belfer, and Elie Wiesel.