Two writers from Fresh Ink for Teens, The Jewish Week’s webzine for, by and about high school students, won awards from the Jewish Scholastic Press Association (JSPA) at the third annual JSPA conference in Los Angeles last week.
Deena Abittan, a sophomore at Manhattan High School for Girls, tied with three other students for first place in the writing category. Her article, “An American Jewish Holiday” (November 2015), is about how her family has a long history of celebrating Thanksgiving because the holiday shows appreciation for the religious freedoms of the United States.
“My great-grandmother Shirley Honig Goldman, an immigrant from Poland, used to bake challah and make a feast every year for Thanksgiving,” Abittan wrote. “The meal, as described by my mother and grandmother, was cooked by my great-grandmother wearing her apron and house slippers. Thanksgiving was the only time my family was allowed to eat in the dining room. My great-grandmother honored Thanksgiving as if it was a Jewish holiday.”
Bailey Frohlich, a senior at Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton, Fla., was one of two honorable mentions in writing. Her opinion piece, “Does Security Trump Civil Liberties?” (December 2015), compiled Jewish teens’ responses to presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
The winners were chosen from 32 entries representing 10 schools from across the United States. The judges were reporters from the Jewish Journal, a weekly publication for the Los Angeles community.
Participation in Fresh Ink for Teens is open to Jewish students from any high school. For more information contact editor Shira Vickar-Fox at freshinkforteens@jewishweek.org.
