Three writers for Fresh Ink for Teens, The Jewish Week-sponsored website for high school students, took home four awards, including a first-place prize, in the 2020 Jewish Scholastic Journalism Competition. The contest, run by the Jewish Scholastic Press Association, included more than 110 entries in 10 categories ranging from news and feature writing to opinion, photography, video and page design.
Julie Levey won first place in the category of feature reporting on Jewish communities, religion, education, institutions, activism, culture, leaders or personalities for a piece headlined, “Pioneering Chasidic Woman Returns to Israel as Tenure-Track Professor.” It chronicled the unlikely academic journey of political psychologist Nechumi Yaffe.
Second and third place in the category of news and reporting on interreligious or intercultural events went to Samantha Sinensky for “Bicultural Chutzpah” and “Can Jews and Arabs Squash Their Differences?”
Third place in the category of first-person opinion or experience regarding Judaism or Israel went to Abigail Yadegar for “My Mother Converted But I Am Not ‘Half-Jewish.’”
Fresh Ink for Teens is written for — and by — Jewish students from high schools around the world. The publication covers topics including high school life, politics, Israel, college preparation and Jewish identity through original reporting and essays. It is funded by the Norman E. Alexander Family G Foundation.
