Sarna is regarded by
The Forward newspaper as one of the most prominent
historians of American Judaism.
American Judaism: A History, received the
National Jewish Book Award and appeared as
Publishers Weeklys Best Religion Book. In 2011 he was elected president of the
Association for Jewish Studies and would serve in the position until 2015. Sarna is a contributor on religion to the
Newsweek–
Washingtonpost.com joint project
On Faith. He is the author of
Lincoln and the Jews: A History, from
St. Martin's Press (2015). He is a member of The
Rohr Jewish Learning Institute's Academic Advisory Board. One of Sarna's most widely cited academic contributions relates to his scholarship on Ulysses S. Grant's relationship with American Jews. General
Ulysses S. Grant in December 1862
issued an order expelling Jewish traders from his military command; it was a blatant display of anti-Semitism and President
Abraham Lincoln forced Grant to rescind it. In his book
When General Grant Expelled the Jews (2012), Sarna argues that Grant later became one of the greatest friends of Jews in American history. When he was president, he appointed more Jews than any previous president and he condemned
atrocities against Jews in Russia, putting human rights on the American diplomatic agenda. Sarna rediscovered
Cora Wilburn, a celebrated 19th century poet and author of the first American Jewish novel, whose work had been forgotten. ==Honors and awards==