Jewish Action Wins Five Rockower Awards for Journalistic Excellence
Jewish Action won five Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism for work that appeared in 2025. The awards were presented at the Rockower Awards Banquet, held in conjunction with the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) Annual Conference on June 4, 2026, at the Center for Jewish History in New York City.
“Jewish Action has been awarded five prestigious Rockover Awards this year, demonstrating, as it has so many years in a row, its place among the most highly regarded and relevant publications serving the Orthodox Jewish community,” said Dr. Rosalyn Sherman, chair of Jewish Action. “Congratulations to its exceptional editorial staff and writers who have done an outstanding job of tackling a wide variety of relevant issues impacting Orthodox Jewry. Yasher koach and keep up the great work!”
The magazine secured first place in the Excellence in Writing About Seniors category for “My Journey with Dementia,” by Wally Klatch as told to Jewish Action Editor-in-Chief Nechama Carmel, a deeply moving personal essay on facing mortality.
Frequent Jewish Action writer Rachel Schwartzberg won second place twice—with an award in Excellence in Writing About Health Care for “When Dad Has Dementia,” shedding light on the intersection between dementia care and religious life; and another award in Excellence in Business Reporting—Trends for “The Making of a Mezuzah,” exploring the efforts being made to raise oversight of the mezuzah industry.
The magazine also won honorable mention in two categories: in Excellence in North American Jewish History for “Building a Community: Stories from the Ground Up,” a collection of inspiring stories of faith and community by Sandy Eller, Judy Gruen, Merri Ukraincik, Rachel Schwartzberg and Carol Ungar; and in Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel for Carol Ungar’s “Twenty Years Later—Remembering the Uprooting of Gush Katif,” a powerful reflection on loss and resilience with individual perspectives by Debbie Rosen, as told to Toby Klein Greenwald, and Moti and Hana Sender, as told to Toby Klein Greenwald.
The prestigious Simon Rockower Awards, referred to as the “Jewish Pulitzers,” are sponsored by the AJPA, which holds a journalism competition for leading Jewish magazines and newspapers across the country. The entries are judged by a panel of judges with expertise in journalism, writing/reporting, editing, graphic design and cartooning in both Jewish and non-Jewish media.
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