JTA garners six media awards

NEW YORK (JTA) – JTA earned six journalism awards at last week’s
gathering of the American Jewish Press Association in San Francisco.The
Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism, established
in 1980, recognizes outstanding journalism in 14 categories.For
the fourth year in a row, JTA took top honors in the investigative
reporting category with a five-part series by Michael J. Jordan that
delved into the practices of the United Nations Relief and Works
Agency, which aids Palestinian refugees.A JTA investigative
series by Edwin Black took third prize in the same category. The
series, “Hitler’s carmaker,” reported General Motors’ ties to the Nazi regime.Brian
Hendler, JTA’s Jerusalem photographer, also garnered first place in the
photography category for his photo “Sister Mourns Brother.”JTA
also won two of the three awards in the category for personality
profiles: Uriel Heilman placed second for “Doctoring in Ethiopia,”
which detailed the life of Dr. Rick Hodes, who has spent much of his
career administering to the sick in Ethiopia, and Ruth Ellen Gruber was
third for “Ride ’em Jewboy,” about the maverick Texas politician Kinky
Friedman.In the Excellence in News Reporting category, JTA’s
Tel Aviv-based correspondent Dina Kraft won third place for “Sudanese
Refugees Jailed in Israel.” The following are first-place winners in the Rockower Awards competition for works published in 2006:The
Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary: Newspapers over
15,000 circulation and all magazines/Web sites – Jonathan Tobin, Jewish
Exponent, Philadelphia, “Somebody Else’s Job?,” “If You Build It, Will
They Come?” and “Protestant, Catholic, Jew and Muslim.”Newspapers
between 7,500 and 15,000 circulation – Marla Cohen, Rockland Jewish
Reporter, New York, “Balancing on One Foot,” “Remembering May Have to
be Enough,” and “Truth, Justice and the Hasmonean Way.”Newspapers
under 7,499 circulation – Martin Jaffee, JTNews, Seattle, “What Became
of the Monks, the Monks, the Monks,” “A Muslim-American Mad at Israel,”
and “Papal Bull.”Award for Excellence in Single Commentary:
Newspapers over 15,000 circulation and all magazines/Web sites – Etgar
Keret, Nextbook.org, New York, “My Lamented Sister.”Newspapers Below 15,000 circulation – Leon Cohen, Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, Milwaukee, “Dying for Justice?”Award
for Excellence in Editorial Writing: Newspapers over 15,000 circulation
and all magazines/Web sites – J.J. Goldberg, The Forward, New York, “In
Dark Times, Blame the Jews.”Newspapers under 15,000 circulation – Deborah Sussman Susser, Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, “Whatever.”The
Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Comprehensive Coverage or
Investigative Reporting: Newspapers over 15,000 circulation and all
magazines/Web sites – Michael J. Jordan, JTA, New York, “Unmasking UNRWA.”Newspapers
under 15,000 circulation – Aaron Howard, Jewish Herald Voice, Houston, “Pushed Out of My Home: I Lift My Lamp – Refugees in Houston, 2006.”Excellence
in News Reporting: Newspapers over 15,000 circulation and all
magazines/Web sites – Paul Lungen, Canadian Jewish News, Toronto, “As
Tribute to Friend He Carried Torah to Space (Canadian Completes Israeli
Astronaut’s Mission).”Newspapers between 7,500 and 15,000
circulation – Andrea Jacobs, Intermountain Jewish News, Denver, “Hot
Lunches, Hot Tempers at the JCC.”Newspapers under 7,499
circulation – Rick Hellman, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, Overland
Park, Kan., “Coincidences Among Crimes at Topeka Houses of Worship
Concern Leaders.”Excellence in Feature Writing: Newspapers over
15,00 circulation – Daniel Gordis, World Jewish Digest, Chicago, “What
We No Longer Believe” and Joel Kotkin and Zina Klapper, The Jewish
Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “Diaspora Shifts, But Isn’t Going Away
Anytime Soon.”Newspapers between 7,500 and 15,000 circulation – Suzi Brozman, Atlanta Jewish Times, “A Prescription for Faith.”Newspapers under 7,499 circulation – Bill Cohen, The New Standard, Columbus, Ohio, “The Jewish Comfort Zone.”Magazines/Special
Sections and Supplements/Web sites – Carl Hoffman, Moment, Washington,
D.C., “Hours and 20 Minutes in Tel Aviv’s Central Bus Station.”Excellence
in Arts and Criticism News and Features: Critical analysis/review,
usually of a single artistic endeavor, whether in literature, theater,
film or fine arts and crafts – Stephen Hazan Arnoff, Zeek: a Jewish
Journal of Thought and Culture, New York, “Live by No Man’s Code: The
Religious Forms of Philip Roth’s ‘Everyman.’ “Reporting on an
artistic endeavor, trend, movement or personality whether in
literature, theater, film or fine arts and crafts – Toby Axelrod,
Hadassah Magazine, New York, “Behind the Master’s Canvas.”The
David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles: Newspapers
over 15,000 circulation – Jack Gilden, Baltimore Jewish Times, “Silence
of ‘The Sage.’ “Newspapers under 15,000 circulation – Andrea Jacobs, Intermountain Jewish News, Denver, “Drew Soicher.”Magazines/Special
Sections and Supplements/Web sites – Nadine Epstein and Walter
Podrazik, Moment, Washington, D.C., “Brian Epstein: The Man Behind the
Beatles.”Excellence in Overall Graphic Design: Newspapers over
15,000 circulation and Magazine Special Sections and Supplements/Web
sites – Baltimore Jewish Times.Newspapers under 15,000 circulation – The Atlanta Jewish Times.Excellence
in Special Sections or Supplements: Newspapers over 15,000 circulation
and Magazine Special Sections and Supplements/Web sites – The Jewish
Week, New York, “Fresh Ink.”Newspapers under 15,000 circulation – Washington Jewish Week, Rockville, Md., “Guide to Jewish Life.”Newspapers under 7,499 circulation – Jewish Herald-Voice, Houston, “Weddings to Remember.”Excellence in Photography: All Newspapers – Brian Hendler, JTA, New York, “Sister Mourns Brother.” Magazines/Special
Sections and Supplements/Web sites – Jason Eskenazi and Friends,
Hadassah Magazine, New York, “An Idea That Clicked.”The Noah
Bee Award for Excellence in Illustration and/or Editorial Cartooning:
Cartoons – Steve Greenberg, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, “Greenberg’s View.”Illustrations – Robert Meganck, Yevgenia Naybert and Marvin Friedman, Hadassah Magazine, New York.Hadassah
Award for Excellence in Writing about Women – Rahel Musleah, Jewish Woman
Magazine, Washington, D.C., “Finding the Words.”Nefesh B’Nefesh
Award for The Story of Aliyah: Amy Klein, Jewish Journal of Greater Los
Angeles, “Return to the Promised Land.”