The St. Louis Jewish Light and its staff and contributors received a number of awards and accolades at the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) annual conference in Seattle, Wash. last week.

“We are thrilled to receive recognition from AJPA for the Jewish Light’s work,” said Publisher/CEO Larry Levin. “These honors result from the tremendous collaborative efforts of the Light’s staff, Board of Trustees and other volunteers and supporters.”

The Light was recognized with three Simon Rockower Awards for 2012, all in the category of newspapers with 14,999 circulation or under:

• First place for Outstanding Website (www.stljewishlight.com) which included individual recognition for Managing Editor Mike Sherwin, Director of Operations Tom Wombacher, and former Production Associate Agatha Gallagher.

• Second place for Excellence in Special Sections or Supplements for the Light’s innovative “Israel Alive” series, with individual recognition to Editor Ellen Futterman and contributor Richard Weiss (also a member of the Light’s Board of Trustees), and to Sherwin and Levin.

• Second place for Excellence in Editorial Writing, with individual recognition to Editor in Chief Emeritus Bob Cohn and Levin, for three editorials: “A Tal order,” “Antidisestablishmentarianism,” and “The Hate State.”

The Light won five Rockower Awards in 2011, bringing the total to eight in the past two years. The website, which has tripled in monthly page view traffic in the last three years, has won each of the last two years.

“The diversity of our awards the last couple years is a tribute to the depth of our team’s abilities,” said Levin. “From electronic media to special sections, from feature writing to editorials, the Light stands shoulder to shoulder with the other tremendous Jewish news organizations across North America.

The Light also received congratulations from the AJPA on the occasion of its 50th anniversary of providing independent Jewish news to the St. Louis community. The recognition read: “May you go forth as a champion of integrity, sensitivity, love of community and Israel, and continue to advocate toward a vibrant future for Jewish journalism.”

Levin, who serves as AJPA’s Membership Committee chair, was recognized with the President’s Volunteer of the Year Award. At the AJPA Annual Meeting, conducted during the conference, Futterman was recognized for her leadership role in chairing the committee planning the Editorial sessions for the conference.

More information about the conference and awards can be found at www.ajpa.org.