Be’chol Lashon Media Award in Jewish Diversity

Write about Jews of Color - Win $2,000
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2009
NO ENTRY FEE
Have you written or produced a piece about Jews who are also African/ African American, Asian, Hispanic or Native American? Are you aware of the broad ethnic diversity of Judaism — and have you considered doing such a piece?

Established this year, the Be'chol Lashon Media Award honors excellence in coverage of the ethnic and racial diversity of world Jewry. There are many stories to tell:

• • In May 2008, Rabbi Gershom Sizomu of Uganda's Abayudaya tribe graduated rabbinical school at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles to become the first black African rabbi ordained by a mainstream Jewish seminary. He is returning to Uganda to start a Rabbinical School, where he will train other rabbinical students from sub-Saharan Africa.


• • In Yonkers, New York, Cuban American Rabbi Manny Vinas is the spiritual leader of the Lincoln Park Jewish Center and also runs El Centro de Estudios Judíos, which provides a home for Latinos of “converso” background. They are descendants of Jews persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition who wish to return to Judaism.


• • At Temple University in Philadelphia, philosophy professor Dr. Lewis Gordon is one of the nation’s pre-eminent black scholars. He’s also the founder of the Center for Afro-Jewish Studies.

And there are countless other stories — of everyday people who celebrate both Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, to Native American activist Winona LaDuke, who proudly hails from Ojibwe and Jewish parentage. Their stories reflect an increasingly multicultural America in which "Black Jew" or "Jewish Chinese" isn’t the punch line to a joke, but a rich celebration of diversity.

Description of Award:
To recognize excellence in coverage reflecting the rich diversity of the Jewish people and Jewish life, particularly of Jews of color, in the mainstream and ethnic press.

Mission Statement:
The Jewish Diversity in Media Awards program seeks to bring to the wider world an increased understanding of the racial and ethnic diversity of the Jewish people. The awards strive to achieve that by recognizing and encouraging exemplary work of journalists and authors that conveys those messages.

The awards are presented annually in six categories:

• Print Media ($1,000)
  Categories include newspapers and magazines, in both the mainstream and ethnic press. Entries may be news stories, features or opinion pieces.


• Broadcast/Film ($1,000)
  Television and radio news, features and documentary, and fiction or nonfiction film intended for a general audience, including major releases and independent productions.


• New and Emerging Media ($1,000)
  News, features and commentary in emerging or nontraditional media.


• Best of Show: ($1,000)
  An overall award chosen from the above for the best single entry.


• Small Market Print and Broadcast: ($1,000)
  At the discretion of the judges, an additional award may be made to newspapers and magazines under 100,000 circulation in the mainstream or ethnic press, or radio and television market size 21 and above, or independent film productions.

Prizes $1,000 in each category, PLUS $1,000 for "Best of Show"
Winners announced in Spring 2009

To enter or for more info, email bechol_lashon@jewishresearch.org or call 415-386-2604