Jewish Journal Wins 21 Rockower Awards, Including 10 First Prizes

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles took home 21 awards at the 42nd Annual American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) Simon Rockower Awards, including 10 first prizes. This was a major improvement versus 2022, when it won 9 total honors and 6 first prizes.

Columnist Tabby Refael led the way with four first place awards: Excellence in Single Commentary, Excellence in Writing About Seniors, Excellence in Writing about Jewish Thought and Life and Excellence in Writing about Young Families/People.

Editor-in-Chief David Suissa won two first prizes for Excellence in Commentary and Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel.

Kylie Ora Lobell, Mark Schiff, Blake Flayton and the Sephardic Spice Girls, Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff, also won first prizes.

Thane Rosenbaum, Mark Schiff, Harvey Farr, Kylie Ora Lobell, David Suissa and Rabbi Noah Farkas took home second prizes, while Monica Osborne, Gil Troy, Tabby Refael, Debra Eckerling and Karen Lehrman Bloch won honorable mentions. In total, 14 Journal writers were honored.

This comes three weeks after the Journal was decorated with two first place awards, three runner-up awards and eight nominations at the Los Angeles Press Club SoCal Journalism Awards.

Below is a list of Jewish Journal 2023 Rockower winners:

The Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary

First Place
“The antidote to erasing Jewish identity: Making it concrete,” “Why the news can’t make us happy,” “Jewish wisdom is also Jewish power”
by David Suissa

Second Place
“Ho-Hum Holocaust Day,” “The duplicity and violence of Al-Quds Day,” “The kind of atonement that can’t be fasted away”
by Thane Rosenbaum

Honorable Mention
“Why teachers can’t be activists,” “The curse of false choices and how they undermine critical thinking,” “The Magic of Jewish LA”
by Monica Osborne

Award for Excellence in Single Commentary

First Place
“Want to be Pro-Israel? Support Iranians”
by Tabby Refael

The David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles

First Place
“Bill Maher is sticking to his beliefs — whether you like it or not”
by Kylie Ora Lobell

Award for Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel

First Place
“Two Israeli narratives: One dark, one bright”
by David Suissa

Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Heritage and Jewish Peoplehood in Europe

First Place
“Lithuania’s family secret”
by Blake Flayton

Award for Excellence in Writing about Food and Wine

First Place
“Barcelona dreaming — kosher chicken paella”
by Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff

Award for Excellence in Writing about Sports

First Place
“When Mick said ‘Wow’ to me”
by Mark Schiff

Second Place
“A dream come true for basketball player Ryan Turell”
by Harvey Farr

Award for Excellence in Writing about Seniors

First Place
“At 83, Hebrew lessons and a wondrous bat mitzvah”
by Tabby Refael

Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Thought and Life

First Place
“The anxious and the pious”
by Tabby Refael

Second Place
“On becoming a shofar”
by David Suissa

Award for Excellence in Writing about Young Families/People

First Place
“Survivors of mass shootings: Three stories, as shared by their mothers”
by Tabby Refael

Second Place
“A blossoming love story”
by Mark Schiff

Award for Excellence in Writing about Social Justice and Humanitarian Work

Second Place
“Eli Beer: Saving the world, one emergency at a time”
by Kylie Ora Lobell

Award for Excellence in Writing about the War in Ukraine

Second Place
“My visit to the border of hell and hope”
by Rabbi Noah Farkas

Award for Excellence in North American Jewish History

Honorable Mention
“Was there anything redeemable about Jewish gangsters?”
by Tabby Refael

Award for Excellence in Education Reporting

Honorable Mention
“YULA boys high school students buy their teacher a car”
by Debra Eckerling

Award for Excellence in Writing about Black-Jewish Relationships

Honorable Mention
“A jazz concert relives a dream”
by Karen Lehrman Bloch

Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism

Honorable Mention
“The new Jew hatred”
by Gil Troy