The St. Louis Jewish Light received five awards for excellence in journalism during the American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference in Pittsburgh, Penn. The 44th annual Simon Rockower Awards for work completed in 2024 were presented on June 23 at the Heinz History Museum.
The Rockower Awards represent the best of the best in Jewish journalism, according to Ellen Futterman, editor-in-chief of the Jewish Light and President of the American Jewish Press Association, which presents the awards.
“I’m incredibly proud of the work our team has done and honored by the recognition from the Rockower Awards for outstanding journalism,” Futterman said. “With more than 1,200 entries from Jewish media outlets all over North America, the competition is fiercer than ever. This recognition affirms our commitment to thorough, impactful storytelling.”
An examination of the relationship between St. Louis and Charles Lindbergh won first place in excellence in writing about antisemitism. “Confronting the Lindbergh legacy” by Shula Neuman was described by the judges as “an extremely well-written and well-researched piece focusing on the era and attitudes of an American hero to provide a broader history of antisemitism in America. Factual, insightful and very compelling.”
Second place in the excellence for news reporting category went to Dale Singer’s story “St. Louis family fights to reclaim art stolen by the Nazis decades ago.” The judges said the story was “a fascinating read, buttressed with strong research in a well-written piece.”
Ballpark hot dogs were the subject of “Remembering Esther Schimmel, the hot dog queen of Cardinals baseball” by Bill Motchan, which won second place in the category of excellence in writing about food and wine. Rockower judges called the story a “sweet snapshot of St. Louis culinary history.”
The honorable mention award for excellence in news obituaries went to Jordan Palmer, Jewish Light chief digital editor, for his story “St. Louis icon Ken Holtzman, three-time MLB champion and two-time no-hit pitcher, dies at 78,” which the judges commented “excellent reporting on baseball career. Good anecdotes.”
Palmer also received an honorable mention award for excellence in general newsletters for the popular daily e-news feature “The Morning Light.” You can receive this free newsletter, or the other Jewish Light newsletters by signing up here.
