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Awards and Honors

2024

AJPA Simon Rockower Awards

Award for Excellence in Single Commentary

First Place: “Young Americans are turning against Israel — and you can thank TikTok” by Laura E. Adkins

The Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Enterprise or Investigative Reporting

First Place: “How one newspaper column saved lives, reunited families and changed the course of Jewish history” by Andrew Silverstein
Honorable Mention: “The secret history and uncertain future of Students for Justice in Palestine” by Arno Rosenfeld

Award for Excellence in News Reporting

First Place: “Fraud, betrayal and spy gear: Inside the messy battle for Chabad of Poway” by Louis Keene
Second Place: “Behind CUNY graduation speech furor, a university divided over Zionism” by Arno Rosenfeld

Award for Excellence in Feature Writing

Second Place: “‘People thought we were dead’: They spent 27 hours under fire from Hamas — then Netanyahu used their home for an Elon Musk photo op” by Jodi Rudoren

Award for Excellence in Arts News and Features — Reporting

First Place: “It was the biggest painting in the world — how could it just disappear?” by Lawrie Gwen Shapiro

Award for Excellence in Arts — Review/Criticism

First Place: “At the Core of Oppenheimer, a debate about how to be Jewish” by PJ Grisar
Second Place: “Descendants of Holocaust perpetrators are writing about their history — what can we learn from them?” by Irene Katz Connelly

Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles

First Place: “‘Everybody needs to be uncomfortable’: Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s tireless campaign to bring her son home” by Jodi Rudoren
Second Place: “Orthodox Judaism has its first openly gay congregational rabbi. This is his story.” by Louis Keene

Award for Excellence in Special Sections or Supplements

First Place: “Seeking relatives” by Andrew Silverstein

Award for Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel

First Place: “It was the million-selling novel that shaped a generation of Jews — does anybody still read it?” by Jenny Singer
Second Place: “How Yiddish became a ‘foreign language’ in Israel despite being spoken there since the 1400s” by Zach Golden
Honorable Mention: “They survived a ‘pogrom.’ Now Palestinians in Hawara fear life will only get worse” by Arno Rosenfeld

Award for Excellence in Writing about Women

First Place: “‘Make for me a sanctuary’: Amid Orthodox ire, Tbilisi women read Torah for the first time” by Jodi Rudoren

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

First Place: “How Albert Einstein inspired Mandy Patinkin to rescue refugees” by Benyamin Cohen

Award for Excellence in North American Jewish History

First Place: “How one newspaper column saved lives, reunited families and changed the course of Jewish history” by Andrew Silverstein
Honorable Mention: “In New York, migrants crowd into hotels seeking shelter — just like Jewish refugees did after WWII” by Andrew Silverstein

Award for Excellence in Writing about Food and Wine

First Place: “In a new war over Middle Eastern food, eating hummus and shawarma has become a political act” by Andrew Silverstein

Award for Excellence in Writing about Sports

Honorable Mention: “The college is Christian. Its point guard wears a yarmulke.” by Louis Keene

Award for Excellence in Writing about Seniors

First Place: “If you thought her first bat mitzvah was trailblazing, wait till you hear about her second” by Stav Ziv

Award for Excellence in News Obituaries

First Place: “Why the literary world (and every single No. 2 pencil) is mourning the loss of Robert Gottlieb” by Talya Zax

Award for Excellence in Writing about Politics/Government

First Place: “Zelenskyy joins Canadian Parliament’s ovation to 98-year-old veteran who fought with Nazis,” “Canadian government has given $2 million to Ukrainian Canadian groups that celebrate Nazi collaborators,” “Trudeau apologizes for ovation to 98-year-old Ukrainian who fought in Nazi unit,” “Canada’s House Speaker resigns over celebration of 98-year-old who fought in Nazi unit,” “Canada was ashamed to have saluted a Ukrainian who fought for Hitler. But that salute didn’t come from nowhere” by Lev Golinkin

Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism

First Place: “Does Germany offer a model — or a warning — for how the US should fight antisemitism?” by Arno Rosenfeld
Honorable Mention: “Billboards urge people to convert to Christianity — but can they make antisemites see the light?” by Mira Fox

Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Thought and Life

First Place: “Before Google, before Wikipedia, this DIY almanac shaped a Jewish generation” by Irene Katz Connelly
Second Place: “Leonard Bernstein was far more Jewish than you’d know from ‘Maestro’” by Mira Fox

Award for Excellence in Podcasting

Second Place: “Playing Anne Frank” by Adam Langer

Wild Card Category — Award for Excellence in Writing about the War in Israel: News and Feature Writing

First Place: “‘People thought we were dead’: They spent 27 hours under fire from Hamas — then Netanyahu used their home for an Elon Musk photo op” by Jodi Rudoren

Wild Card Category — Award for Excellence in Writing about the War in Israel: Antisemitism

Second Place: “Special report: What’s it really like to be Jewish on campus right now?” by Mira Fox, Arno Rosenfeld, Leah Jablo, Louis Keene, Adam Janos, Camillo Barone, Debrah Miszak, Sam Lin-Sommer, Kimberly Winston, Debra Nussbaum Cohen and Odeya Rosenband.

Wild Card Category — Award for Excellence in Writing about the War in Israel: Personality Profiles

First Place: “‘Everybody needs to be uncomfortable’: Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s tireless campaign to bring her son home” by Jodi Rudoren
Honorable Mention: “‘We’re sick and tired of the West telling us what to do’: Palestinian Israeli peace activists speak out on a new podcast” by Nora Berman

2023

AJPA Simon Rockower Awards

The Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary

Second Place: “Kanye West’s antisemitism is playing right into white supremacists’ hands,” “I’m glad Coach Kennedy can pray at the 50-yard line,” “AIPAC’s endorsements risk irreparably damaging the U.S.-Israel relationship” by Laura E. Adkins

Award for Excellence in Single Commentary

First Place: “It’s about to get a lot harder for American Jews to explain Israel” by Michael Koplow
Second Place: “It’s time to talk seriously about a Confederation of Israel and Palestine” by Jodi Rudoren
Honorable Mention: “Unpacking Kanye and Kyrie: Condemn antisemitic acts, but don’t destroy Black men” by Robin Washington

Award for Excellence in Personal Essay

First Place: “I went to Ukraine to find my roots. The KGB found me first” by Howard Fineman
Honorable Mention: “On sitting shiva and watching ‘Back to the Future’” by Benyamin Cohen

The Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Enterprise or Investigative Reporting

First Place: “What it’s really like to be Jewish on a campus ‘hotspot’ of antisemitism” by Arno Rosenfeld

Award for Excellence in News Reporting

Honorable Mention: “Inside the last days of a small-town synagogue” by Dina Gachman

Award for Excellence in Feature Writing

Second Place: “Can an all-Mormon cast pull off ‘Fiddler on the Roof’? We traveled to Utah to find out.” by Mira Fox
Honorable Mention: “It was the most successful Jewish ad campaign of all time — but who was the model?” by Andrew Silverstein

Award for Excellence in Arts News and Features — Reporting

Second Place: “Can an all-Mormon cast pull off ‘Fiddler on the Roof’? We traveled to Utah to find out.” by Mira Fox
Honorable Mention: “Jewish, Asian and taking over Broadway: Meet the next great musical star-in-the-making” by Nora Berman

Award for Excellence in Arts — Review/Criticism

First Place: “Embracing Trump’s politics, David Mamet has become the Kanye West of American letters” by Jackson Arn
Honorable Mention: “‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ undercuts its own feminist and Jewish identity” by Mira Fox

The David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles

Second Place: “This punk rock legend survived the Holocaust — and she’s still singing and fighting” by Jim Sullivan
Honorable Mention: “At 95, this visionary Jewish artist can’t stop painting — and painting and painting” by Alan Teller

Award for Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel

Honorable Mention: “Of secret hookups and chocolate ice cream: Inside the Israel teen-tour COVID hotel” by Elijah Marche

Award for Excellence in Writing about Women

Second Place: “How the Jewish community woke up to abortion rights” by Arno Rosenfeld

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

Honorable Mention: “This Amsterdam neighborhood was once inhabited by Jews. None are left to celebrate its centennial” by Ellen Himelfarb

Award for Excellence in North American Jewish History

Honorable Mention: “Introducing the Forward 125: The American Jews who shaped our world” by Beth Harpaz, Jodi Rudoren and Matthew Litman

Award for Excellence in Writing about Food and Wine

First Place: “Does pastrami come from New York or Texas?” by Andrew Silverstein
Second Place: “A New York synagogue banned lox. That’s not as crazy as it sounds” by Rob Eshman
Honorable Mention: “Can a Jew cook Palestinian food without getting all political?” by Rob Eshman

Award for Excellence in Writing about Sports

Honorable Mention: “Meet the Orthodox Jewish artist designing custom cleats for MLB stars” by Louis Keene

Award for Excellence in Writing about Politics/Government

First Place: “Congressman-elect George Santos lied about grandparents fleeing anti-Jewish persecution during WWII” by Andrew Silverstein
Honorable Mention: “Why are AIPAC and J Street endorsing the same candidates?” by Arno Rosenfeld and Jacob Kornbluh

Award for Excellence in Writing about Black-Jewish Relationships

First Place: “Growing up, as a mixed race child, with survivor grandparents” by Kyla Kupferstein Torres

Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism

First Place: “In London, an antisemitism scandal has sparked a play about antisemitism. Is it helping?” by Talya Zax
Honorable Mention: “Is Kanye’s antisemitic vitriol seeping into our schools and streets?” by Jodi Rudoren

Award for Excellence in Writing about Young Families/People

First Place: “My generation of parents is ruining sleep-away camp” by Jodi Rudoren

Wild Card Category: Award for Excellence in Writing about the War in Ukraine

Award for General Excellence — Best Freelancer

First Place: Andrew Silverstein, New York, NY “It was the most successful Jewish ad campaign of all time — but who was the model?,” “Congressman-elect George Santos lied about grandparents fleeing anti-Jewish persecution during WWII,” “In the rarified world of Jewish letters, a mind-boggling font of Jewish history” published by The Forward Association, Inc.

2022

AJPA Simon Rockower Awards

The Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Enterprise or Investigative Reporting

First Place: “How many monuments honor fascists, Nazis and murderers of Jews? You’ll be shocked.” by Lev Golinkin

Second Place: “For Orthodox Brooklyn’s private police, a code of silence hides domestic abuse,” “25 years later, man sues bar mitzvah tutor, synagogue and day school for abuse,” “Reform rabbinic giant disciplined for inappropriate relationships now accused of ‘sexually predatory behavior,’” “Steven M. Cohen, shunned by academy after harassment allegations, makes stealthy comeback — and provokes uproar,” “For the Conservative movement, an audit of ethics policies might be overdue,” “‘This was no coverup’: Inside the investigation of Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman” by Dan Glaun, Hannah Dreyfus and Molly Boigon

Excellence in Deadline/Breaking News Reporting

First Place: “Reform rabbinic giant disciplined for inappropriate relationships now accused of ‘sexually predatory behavior’” by Hannah Dreyfus

Second Place: “‘There is no Kohen’: A minyan in the shadow of disaster mourns its losses” by Louis Keene
Honorable Mention: “‘G-d bless the Capitol Police’: Far-right protesters storm U.S. Capitol amid antisemitic claims over election,” “A guide to the extremists and hate groups that invaded the Capitol,” “A dark day for democracy in America,” “What the ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt tells us about alt-right aesthetics” by Arno Rosenfeld, Molly Boigon, Jordan Kutzik and Jodi Rudoren and Irene Katz Connelly

Excellence in Feature Writing

First Place: “An oral history of the most epic Jewish summer camp prank ever” by Louis Keene

Second Place: “At a Jewish chicken farm, Sukkot is a time for homemade pesto, random dancing, and making friends with strangers” by Irene Katz Connelly
Honorable Mention: “How Jewish is Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah?’ A Forward investigation in 9 verses” by PJ Grisar

Excellence in Personal Essay

First Place: “‘I’ll have what he’s having’: Told he had little time left, my rabbi-dad wanted a last meal at Katz’s deli” by Avi Dresner

Second Place: “‘The Torah is not a parenting manual’ — a mother of twins reflects on the Jacob-Esau story” by Jodi Rudoren

Excellence in Single Commentary

Second Place: “Is interrupting inherently Jewish (and inherently rude)?” by Mira Fox

Excellence in News Story

Second Place:“In the cream cheese fiasco of 2021, a new suspect emerges — is it the water?” by Andrew Silverstein

Excellence in Arts — Review/Criticism (movie, theater, television, books, music, etc.)

First Place: “A Jewish prisoner. An SS Officer. A forbidden relationship. An absolutely stunning documentary” by Simi Horowitz, New York, NY

Honorable Mention: “In the Oscar shorts category, stories of fraught relationships in Israel” by Simi Horowitz, New York, NY

The David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles

Second Place: “What ultimate Frisbee can teach us about Jon Ossoff” by Talya Zax
Honorable Mention: “The Israeli scientist is searching for aliens – and he takes his job very seriously” by Benyamin Cohen

Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel

First Place: “They lost pregnancies or infants. Now, Israeli parents want access to burials that have long been secret” by Michele Chabin

Excellence in Writing About Women

First Place: “My abortion story — because it’s true and we should not be afraid to talk about it” by Jodi Rudoren

Second Place: “Eulogized for championing women, Reform leader now accused of abusing them” by Arno Rosenfeld
Honorable Mention: “12 new letters: Revamped aleph bet aims to recognize women and non-binary people” by Eetta Prince-Gibson

Excellence in Writing About Jewish Heritage and Jewish Peoplehood in Europe

Honorable Mention: “Is Serbia using a Holocaust film as nationalist propaganda?” by PJ Grisar

Excellence in North American Jewish History

Second Place: “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re Yiddish: LGBTQ stories, and silences, in the Forward archives” by Chana Pollack
Honorable Mention: “The original ‘West Side Story’ was Jewish — would it have been a better musical?” by Eliya Smith

Outstanding Digital Outreach

Second Place: “Forwarding the News” (Our Morning Newsletter) by Benyamin Cohen

Excellence in Interfaith Relations Reporting

First Place: “How one powerful song helped to heal ‘Crown Heights’” by Jeremy Kagan

Second Place: “This is not my ‘holiday season.’ Please leave me out of it.” by Jodi Rudoren
Honorable Mention: “Ella Emhoff isn’t Jewish (and she doesn’t want to talk about it)” by Jodi Rudoren

Excellence in Writing About Food and Wine

Second Place: “The single most important statistic from the Pew Survey is about…food” by Rob Eshman

Excellence in Writing About Sports

First Place: ‘It’s a bad time to be great’: An oral history of Yeshiva University’s historic 36-game win streak” by Louis Keene

Excellence in Writing About Seniors

First Place: “‘I’ll have what he’s having’: Told he had little time left, my rabbi-dad wanted a last meal at Katz’s deli” by Avi Dresner

Excellence in Headline Writing

Honorable Mention: “He drew Leonard Cohen’s life, death and underwear,” “What does the Talmud say about Larry David spilling coffee on a Klansman’s robe?” “William Shatner may be going to space (please alert space)” by PJ Grisar

Excellence in Business Reporting — Trends

First Place: “At Google, Jewish employees battling for influence clash over Israel” by Louis Keene

Second Place: “The kosher cartel: Was this Cleveland butchery a front for money-laundering and illicit vape trade?” by Sheehan Hannan

Excellence in News Obituaries

Honorable Mention: “Remembering Rabbi Robert Marx, who marched with King, called on Jews to side with the oppressed” by Barbara Brotman

Excellence in Writing About Politics/Government

Second Place: “Leading NYC mayoral candidates oppose BDS, would visit Israel,” “How ranked-choice voting might affect the historic influence of NYC’s Orthodox voting bloc,” “Andrew Yang on yeshiva education: ‘We shouldn’t interfere,’” “Why all American Jews should care about New York’s mayoral election,” “National Bagels & Lox Day: What the NYC mayoral candidates put on their favorite bagel,” “For Orthodox voters choosing the next mayor, it’s Adams or Yang — or both” by Jacob Kornbluh, Talya Zax and Ruth Messinger

Excellence in Writing About Black-Jewish Relationships

Second Place: “Amanda Gorman’s former mentor knows what drives her” by Rob Eshman
Honorable Mention: “A remarkable photo exhibit captures ‘a joyful moment’ of Black-Jewish unity in Miami Beach” by Jordan Levin

Excellence in Writing About Climate Change/Environmentalism

Honorable Mention: “Climate change tops agenda in Hazon-Pearlstone merger” by Sharon Rosen Leib, Solana Beach, CA

Excellence in Writing About Antisemitism

Second Place: “Antisemitism rises among Hispanic Miami’s right wing” by Jordan Levin
Honorable Mention: “How to lie with statistics, antisemitism edition,” “Our hate crime reporting system is broken” by Laura E. Adkins

General Excellence — Best Freelancer

First Place: “A Boston Jewish leader earns high praise amid lawsuits and allegations of a ‘toxic culture,’” “Facing illness or death? Call Ron Hoffman, ‘the hippie ALS guy,’” “From Twisted Sister to the pulpit, a deaf rabbi finds his place in ‘a society not set up for you’” by Linda Matchan, New York, NY

Second Place: “How 770 Eastern Parkway became the world’s most-recognizable Jewish building,” “In the cream cheese fiasco of 2021, a new suspect emerges — is it the water?,” “Is the legend of Murray’s Cheese only a myth?” by Andrew Silverstein, New York, NY
Honorable Mention: “After a house is destroyed in a fire, a Jewish artist finds a way to preserve its spirit,” “How one dance lover is preserving the Jewish history of ballet — one blog entry at a time,” “How these intimate family photos helped to bridge a Trump-era divide” by Stav Ziv, New York, NY

2022 Excellence in Religion Reporting Awards

Supple Award for Excellence in Religion Feature Writing

First Place: PJ Grisar, The Forward

Excellence in Religion Commentary

First Place: Jodi Rudoren for work at The Forward