A Jewish Journal record of 12 different writers collected awards at the 43rd Annual Simon Rockower Awards presented on June 3 by the American Jewish Press Association.
Multiple winners included Tabby Refael, David Suissa and Mark Schiff. Other winners were Judy Gruen, Marcus Freed, Monica Osborne, Gary Wexler, Thane Rosenbaum, Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff (Sephardic Spice Girls), Morton Schapiro and Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz.
Here is the full list of winners, with links to the winning articles:
The Louis Rapaport Award for Excellence in Commentary
2nd Place – Judy Gruen
“Jewish Students Should Boycott Universities that Coddle Antisemites,” “A Recipe for True Women’s Empowerment,”“Home is Where the Heartbreak —and the Solidarity — Are”
Honorable Mention – Marcus J Freed
“Satirical Semite: DatingGPT,” “Satirical Semite: It’s complicated,” “Satirical Semite: Unjected”
Award for Excellence in Single Commentary
2nd Place – Monica Osborne “Wokeism and the Jews: A Reckoning”
Comment: What happens when questioning replaces certainty? This piece logically takes the reader on a thought journey that supports why it is dangerous to acquiesce to ideologies.
Honorable Mention – Gary Wexler “The Inside Story of How Palestinians Took Over the World”
Comment: Bearing witness to history, the author paints a compelling ( frightening!) picture of how we got here, why our response needs to change, and what is at stake.
Award for Excellence in Arts News and Features – Reporting
1st Place – David Suissa “Fighting Antisemitism with Punch Lines”
Comment: Nice piece. Nice to see both event coverage and a larger issue melded into one single story.
Award for Excellence in Arts – Review/Criticism
1st Place – Thane Rosenbaum “Oppenheimer and the Lesson of Brainy Jews”
Comment: It is good to point out the number of Jews involved.
Honorable Mention – Tabby Refael “For a Deaf Woman From Iran, Freedom Never Sounded so Good”
Comment: Sounds like a great novel and it centers on a story of Jewish culture that is not told.
Award for Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel
2nd Place – David Suissa “Israel, Water and the Next 100 Years”
Comment: A timely, important, and often overlooked environmental story.
Award for Excellence in Writing About Women
1st Place – Tabby Refael – “In Honor of Purim, Meet Four Extraordinary Persian Jewish Women”
Comment: This lovely memoir offers a peek into the now-lost culture of Iranian Jewish women.
Award for Excellence in Writing About Food and Wine
Honorable Mention – Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff “Precious Pastelikos”
Award for Excellence in Writing About Sports
1st Place – Morton Schapiro “How Sandy Koufax Boosted My Jewish Pride”
Comment: This is an exceptionally well written piece that really grabbed me. When I read it, I thought I was reading an article from Sports Illustrated when that magazine was the epitome of what sports journalism should be.
Award for Excellence in Writing About Seniors
Honorable Mention – Mark Schiff “What Choice Do I Have?”
Comment: Aging may be no fun, but the author’s sense of humor and positive attitude make reading about it enjoyable!
Award for Excellence in Writing About Antisemitism
2nd Place – David Suissa “As Jew-Hatred Hits Record Highs, Our Best Allies Can Be Israeli-Arabs”
Award for Excellence in Writing About Jewish Thought and Life
Honorable Mention – Tabby Refael “I’m an Observant Jew, and I Need Christmas Music More Than Ever Before”
Award for Excellence in Writing About Young Families/People
2nd Place – Tabby Refael “An L.A. Couple Is Married. The Wedding Guests? 200 Children”
Comment: A joyful, well-balanced piece that tells a lovely story while weaving in many details of Jewish law and custom.
Honorable Mention – Mark Schiff “A Long Overdue Father and Son Roadtrip”
Comment: A well written, humorous article that doesn’t just tell a story, but also exudes the warmth of a wonderful father-son relationship.
Award for Excellence in Writing About the War in Israel: News and Feature Writing
2nd Place – Chaim Steinmetz “A Letter from Israel: It’s Okay to Start Dreaming”
