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
