[1][2] The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of quality English language books of Jewish content in North America".

Representatives of major American Jewish organizations served on this committee, as did groups interested in promulgating Yiddish and Hebrew literature.

The journal reflected on "the year’s events, figures, works, and community interests impacting Jewish literature and literacy."

[5] In 2015, Naomi Firestone-Teeter succeeded Carolyn Starman Hessel as executive director of the Jewish Book Council.

[14] Each issue provides a 200-page snapshot of the Jewish literary landscape in America and abroad, including essays, fiction, poetry, and visual arts.

The magazine was a tool to help them learn about new books of Jewish interest and make informed reading choices.

The awards, presented by category, are designed to give recognition to outstanding books, to stimulate writers to further literary creativity and to encourage the reading of worthwhile titles.

[16] The first book awarded the prize was Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Harry Austryn Wolfson.

[17] Among the past notable literary winners are Deborah Lipstadt, Etgar Keret, Bari Weiss,[18] Sonia Levitin,[19] Howard Fast,[20] Chaim Grade,[21] Samuel Heilman,[22] John Hersey,[23] Bernard Malamud,[24] Cynthia Ozick,[25] Chaim Potok, Philip Roth,[26] Arthur A. Cohen,[27] I.B.

Winners have included Daniel Gordis, Jeremy Eichler, Michael W. Twitty, Nomi M. Stolzenberg and David N. Myers, Dvora Hacohen, and Jonathan Sacks.

The Jewish Book Council assists with program suggestions and coordinates the speaking tours of more than 260 authors who travel country-wide during the Fall season and throughout the year.

Each year the Jewish Book Council sponsors a conference for all JBC Network members and their lay leaders in conjunction with the annual BookExpo America.

Through this event, authors are invited to speak to the members of the JBC Network in the hopes of touring and visiting with the Jewish book programs that are represented.

[13] Among the authors who were sponsored in the past are Warren Bass, Rich Cohen, Nathan Englander, Samuel G. Freedman, Jonathan Safran Foer, Myla Goldberg, Ari L. Goldman, Rabbi Irving Greenberg, Dara Horn, David Horowitz, Dr. Eric Kandel, Nicole Krauss, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Aaron Lansky, Daniel Libeskind, Tova Mirvis, Dr. Deborah Dash Moore, Judea Pearl, Naomi Ragen, Nessa Rapoport, Shulamit Reinharz, Steven V. Roberts, Jonathan Rosen, Ambassador Dennis Ross, and Dr. Jonathan Sarna.