Jewish Action, the quarterly magazine of The Orthodox Union, has won four Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism for work produced in 2013. The Awards, now in their 33rd year, are presented by the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA), which includes the Orthodox Union in its membership.
The Awards will be presented at the AJPA’s annual conference, this year being held in conjunction with the General Assembly of The Jewish Federations of North America, in Washington, DC in November.
Nechama Carmel is editor of Jewish Action. Rashel Zywica is assistant editor. The magazine is published by the Communications and Marketing Department of the Orthodox Union. Gerald M. Schreck is chairman of the OU Communications Committee; Mayer Fertig is chief communications officer.
The Awards, three of them for first place in their category, are as follows:
- First Place: Award for Excellence in Single Commentary
Newspapers 15,000 circulation and over; all magazines; web-based outlets
The Decline of the Rabbinic Sermon by Zev Eleff
- First Place: Award for Excellence in Personal Essay
Newspapers 15,000 circulation and over; all magazines; web-based outlets
The Courage to Serve: A Chareidi Girl in the IDF, by Fayga Marks
- First Place: The Jacob Rader Marcus Award for Journalistic Excellence in American Jewish History
Newspapers 15,000 circulation and over; all magazines; special sections and supplements; web-based outlets
The Guru of Kashrut: Rabbi Alexander S. Rosenberg and the Transformation of Kashrut in America, by Timothy D. Lytton
- Second Place: Award for Excellence in Writing about Women
The Courage to Serve: A Chareidi Girl in the IDF, by Fayga Marks
This is the third year in which Jewish Action has participated in the Rockower Awards competition, and it has been honored in each of the three years. The 2013 competition marks the largest number of awards that the magazine has received since it began submitting stories to the Rockower judges.
According to Mr. Schreck, the Communications Committee chairman, “It’s unique that the magazine is unpredictable, so that when you open it you see significant stories you never would have expected. This team could put out a magazine on a regular basis on any topic and it would be first class. The editorial team is superb; the articles come from all directions; the writing is first rate; the design is state of the art; and the end result is fascinating stories you will not find in another Jewish magazine.”
Mayer Fertig, OU chief communications officer who directly oversees the production of Jewish Action,” declared: A publication is only as good as the people behind it, and the OU’s great pride in Jewish Action, and the positive reactions of our readers, are a tribute to the magazine’s staff and contributors. Atop that list, of course, is Nechama Carmel, Jewish Action’s dedicated, longtime editor, whom we are very fortunate to have; her assistant editor, Rashel Zywica; and each of the other individuals who pool their time and talent to put out four compelling issues each year.”
Kudos came from the American Jewish Press Association leadership as well. “Congratulations on OU’s many Rockower wins this year! That’s quite a track record of journalistic excellence,” wrote Marshall Weiss, editor and publisher of The Dayton Jewish Observer, and president of AJPA. “You and your team should be very proud.”
The links to the winning stories follow:
- The Decline of the Rabbinic Sermon:http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/08/2013/the-decline-of-the-rabbinic-sermon
- The Courage to Serve: A Chareidi Girl in the IDF:http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/03/2013/the-courage-to-serve-a-chareidi-woman-in-the-idf
- The Guru of Kashrut: Rabbi Alexander S. Rosenberg and the Transformation of Kashrut in America: http://www.ou.org/jewish_action/08/2013/the-guru-of-kashrut-rabbi-alexander-s-rosenberg-and-the-transformation-of-kosher-certification-in-america/