The American Jewish Press Association has honored the publisher and editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency with the 1999 Joseph Polakoff Award for Distinguished Service to Jewish Journalism.
Mark Joffe, executive editor and publisher, and Lisa Hostein, editor, were recognized for their careers in American Jewish journalism at the 18th Annual Simon Rockower Awards presented last week in Philadelphia during AJPA’s annual convention.
JTA, the global news service of the Jewish people, provides news, analysis and features on events and issues of concern to the Jewish people.
Joffe served for several years on the AJPA executive committee as well as on programming committees. At JTA, Joffe presides over both its editorial and business branches and is at the helm of the development of JTA’s Web site. Prior to his career at the JTA, Joffe was news editor of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia for five years, covering national and international assignments.
The editor of JTA since 1994, Hostein directs a staff of more than 30 editors, bureau chiefs, foreign correspondents and reporters from all over the world. Hostein, also a former news editor of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia, is a past winner of five Rockower awards, as well as an award from the Philadelphia Press Association. She serves on the AJPA executive committee and on several programming committees.
The Rockower Awards were started in 1980 from an endowment established by I. Budd Rockower, a Philadelphia philanthropist, to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of his late father, Simon Rockower. The awards, sponsored by the AJPA, honor articles, features, cartoons and other types of Jewish journalism.
The purpose of the awards competition is to “provide an incentive to member publications to continually improve those publications, as well as and to promote the development and to improve the quality of Jewish journalism.”
According to Mollie Leitzes, associate editor of the New Jersey Jewish News and chairwoman of the Rockower Awards Committee, approximately 800 entries were submitted for consideration.
The following are the first-place winners in each of the categories:
The Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary and Editorial Writing: Newspapers with circulations of more than 15,000 — Robert Sklar, Detroit Jewish News, Southfield, Mich., “Educational Alliance.”
The Rapoport Award for newspapers with circulations less than 15,000 — Joseph Aaron, Chicago Jewish News, “The Price of Hate.”
The Rapoport Award: Magazines — Dara Horn, Hadassah Magazine, New York, “Three for the Road.”
The Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Comprehensive Coverage or Investigative Reporting: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 – – Stewart Ain, Adam Dickter, Lawrence Cohler-Esses and Eric Greenberg, The Jewish Week, New York, Election Coverage.
The Smolar Award: Newspapers with circulations less then 15,000 — Jane Sprague, Jewish Voice of Rhode Island, Providence, R.I., “Genetic Makeup.”
Excellence in News Reporting: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 – – Eric Greenberg, The Jewish Week, New York, “Is Superman `Judenrein’?”
Excellence in News Reporting: Newspapers with circulations less than 15,000 – – Donna Blankinship, The Jewish Transcript, Seattle, Wash., “Knesset Members.”
Excellence in Feature Writing: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 – – Elicia Brown, The Jewish Week, New York, “More than Georgia on Their Mind.”
Excellence in Feature Writing: Newspapers with circulations less than 15,000 – – Chris Leppek, Intermountain Jewish News, Denver, Colo., “Jewish Archaeology in Denver.”
Excellence in Feature Writing: Magazines — Sarah Blustein, Lilith Magazine, New York, “A Paradoxical Legacy: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s Shadow Side.”
Excellence in Arts Criticism and Features: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 — Sanford Pinsker, New Jersey Jewish News, Whippany, N.J., “Albert and Alfred.”
Excellence in Arts Criticism News and Features: Newspapers with circulations less then 15,000 — Joseph Aaron and Golda Shira, Chicago Jewish News, “Moses at the Movies.”
Excellence in Arts Criticism News and Features: Magazines — Calev Ben-David, Hadassah Magazine, New York, “The Best of a New Culture.”
The David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 — Robert Leiter, Jewish Exponent, Philadelphia, Pa., “Schepping Nachas.”
The David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles: Newspapers with circulations less then 15,000 — Andrea Jacobs, Intermountain Jewish News, Denver, Colo., “No Odds.”
The David Frank Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles: Magazines – – Rahel Musleah, Hadassah Magazine, New York, “`How’m I Doin’?’ Portrait of Edward I. Koch.”
Excellence in Overall Graphic Design: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 — The Jewish Week, New York.
Excellence in Overall Graphic Design: Newspapers with circulations less than 15,000 — Atlanta Jewish Times.
Excellence in Overall Graphic Design: Magazines — Lilith, New York.
Excellence in Special Sections or Supplements: Newspapers with circulations more than 15,000 — Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, San Francisco, Calif., “Israel at 50.”
Excellence in Special Sections or Supplements: Newspapers with circulations less than 15,000 — Intermountain Jewish News, Denver, Colo., “85th Anniversary.”
Excellence in Photography: All newspapers — David Deal, Baltimore Jewish Times.
Excellence in Photography: Magazines — Miriam Sushman, Hadassah Magazine, New York.
The Noah Bee Award for Excellence in Editorial Cartooning or Illustrating: Cartoons: All newspapers — Stuart Goodman, Jewish Exponent, Philadelphia, Pa.
The Noah Bee Award for Excellence in Editorial Cartooning or Illustrating: Illustrations: All newspapers — Shari Swartz, Dayton Jewish Observer, Dayton, Ohio.
The Noah Bee Award for Excellence in Editorial Cartooning or Illustrating: Cartoons: Magazines — Ismael Roldan, Reform Judaism, New York.
The Noah Bee Award for Excellence in Editorial Cartooning or Illustrating: Illustrations: Magazines — Flash Rosenberg, Lilith, New York.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
