Cry of the Giraffe, the moving story of author Judie Oron's daughter, Wuditu, whom she rescued from slavery in Ethiopia, has garnered a number of prestigious awards. Fittingly, in the 20th anniversary year of Operation Solomon, the clandestine airlift of thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, Cry of the Giraffe was honored once again with the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award for Youth Literature. In her acceptance speech to a packed audience in the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library, Judie spoke of her difficult decision to tell Wuditu's story, but in the end, she is gratified to know that Cry of the Giraffe has brought to the public's attention the harrowing experiences of Ethiopian Jews whose dream to one day reach Yerusalem sustained them through famine, wars and persecution.
Other honorees at the star-studded event included Charles Foran for his acclaimed biography of Mordecai Richler, Mordecai: The Life and Times, Alison Pick for her novel Far to Go about a Czech family during the Holocaust, and Tarek Fatah for his courageous essay about anti-Semitism in the world today, The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism.
Congratulations to Judie and to all the winners of this coveted award!
