The winners of the 44th Annual Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism were announced June 23 at the American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference, which took place in Pittsburgh. Among the winners was the Jewish Independent.
The awards honour achievements in Jewish media published in 2024 and, according to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, the AJPA received 1,160 entries this year. There were 40 different categories, from excellence in commentary, news coverage and feature writing, to podcasting, graphic art, and more.
The JI editorial board – Pat Johnson, Basya Laye and Cynthia Ramsay – was recognized for excellence in editorial writing, taking both first and second place in the category, submissions for which comprise three editorials. The category was open to all types of media: newspapers, magazines and web-based.
Winning first prize were the editorials “Anti-racism work at risk,” “Legislating a fine line” and “Upheaval, good and bad.” Judges commented: “Three thoughtful, thorough, balanced and persuasive editorials that examine current-day antisemitism and offer sage insights and wise calls to action.”
Winning second prize were “Don’t give up on the UN,” “End the war: surrender” and “False binaries harmful.”
The honourable mention for excellence in editorial writing went to the Washington Jewish Week, out of Columbia, Md.
The Canadian Jewish News took home three honourable mentions: for excellence in commentary, personal essay, and writing about the war in Israel: schools and universities.
Watch for the full list of Rockower winners and links to all the winning articles at ajpa.org. Of course, you can re-read all the JI wins at jewishindependent.ca.