The Intermountain Jewish News won 13 Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism for articles written in 2021.
The awards were announced at the American Jewish Press Assn.’s annual meeting June 27, 2022, at the Simon Rockower Awards Banquet at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
All entries in the annual contest are judged blindly.
The IJN competed against all subscription-based weekly and biweekly newspapers of all sizes, circulations and resources.
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, IJN publisher and editor, won four awards; Chris Leppek, IJN assistant editor, four awards; Tehilla Goldberg, IJN columnist, two awards; Larry Hankin, one award; Chaim Goldberg, special to the IJN, one award; and Andrea Jacobs, recently retired IJN senior writer, one award.
“I am very proud of all of our Rockower winners. Our staff work hard to provide our readers with thoughtful content and it is rewarding to see our writers’ commitment, talent and skill recognized,” commented Shana R. Goldberg, IJN assistant publisher, who was on hand in Atlanta to accept the awards.
Hillel Goldberg won:
- First place , Excellence in Editorial Writing: “Trump has lost the right to govern,” “Kamala Harris’ silence,” “‘Defund the police’ right . . . so murderers won’t be caught,” which the judges said were “well-written and well-argued editorials, with relevance to a local and to a Jewish audience.”
- First place, Excellence in News and Features — Arts Reporting: “The Rabbi of Buchenwald,” which the judges said was “very powerful in scope and style.
- First place, Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel: “Jewish electricity,” which the judges said was “a short yet forceful piece, that makes its points clearly and powerfully. In a drumroll of terse, simple statements, it builds its case like a trial lawyer pounding home his argument. All in all, an impressive display of persuasive writing.”
- First place, Excellence in Writing About Jewish Thought and Life: “She said, ‘I’ll stick with my shrimp’”
Leppek won:
- First place, Excellence in Writing About Women: “From Vietnamese refugee to Denverite”
The judges’ comments were: “This riveting interview with a Vietnamese Jewish woman is the sort of story that opens our eyes to the diversity of the American Jewish community, the individual challenges we face, and the humanity that unites us. Chris Leppek’s questions are sharp and engaging, and Nhi Aronheim’s account of her escape from Vietnam and her journey to Judaism is unforgettable. The Q&A format doesn’t always work well as a story-telling device; in this case, it’s perfect.”
- First place, Excellence in Business Reporting — Trends: “Coping with COVID: East Side Kosher Deli finds ways to sustain its service”
The judges’ comments were: “Chris wrote a fantastic story about how a single Jewish business has done its best to stay afloat during the pandemic while trying to keep staff and customers safe. By examining one business in depth, Chris gave readers a better understanding of the intense decision-making that so many business owners have faced.”
- Second place, Excellence in Writing About Black-Jewish Relationships: “Teaching about race”
- Honorable mention, Excellence in Writing About Food and Wine: “The future? Meatless meat? Chickenless eggs? Cowless milk?”
Tehilla Goldberg won:
- First place, The Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary: “Witness to witnesses,” “For one single soldier,” “Cheap shot.”
- First place, Excellence in Writing About Food and Wine: “Sweetness . . . far, far deeper.”
Hankin won:
- Honorable mention, Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel: “A university with the potential to change all of Israel — Ben-Gurion U,” which the judges described as “a very detailed piece that lays out with extraordinary clarity an aspect of Israel’s history that no longer gets the attention it should.”
Jacobs won:
- First place, Excellence in Writing About Black-Jewish Relationships: “Bonai Shalom’s Stacey Aviva Flint: Interstitial voice”
Chaim Goldberg won:
- Second place, Excellence in Writing About Sports: “#JewishEthics,” which the judges called an “excellent analysis about how achievement at the highest level of pro sports — NBA MVP — is a reflection of Jewish values.”
The complete list of winners, categories and divisions can be found on the AJPA website.
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