The Jewish Observer was presented with six Simon Rockower Awards during the American Jewish Press Association’s (AJPA) annual conference in New York. The Simon Rockower Awards recognize excellence in Jewish journalism across North America. Awards were given to stories published in 2025.
In the division for magazines and monthly newspapers, Nashville’s Jewish Observer won six of the awards, written by past editor, Barbara Dab.
"I'm proud of the work our team does to provide quality news and information to our community, and to be recognized is icing on the cake," Dab said. "These awards are especially sweet since I am moving into retirement and are a lovely way to cap off my work with the Federation. I am confident that under the new leadership of Erin Wides, the Observer will continue to grow."
Below are the winning submissions:
Second place in The Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Enterprise or Investigative Reporting, for “Rule of law: A tradition under pressure”
Honorable mention in the Award for Excellence in Writing about Health Care, for “IDF soldiers journey of healing: Transforming lives at Ramah Darom”
Honorable mention in the Award for Excellence in Writing about Sports, for “Driven by passion, fueled by legacy: Shwartzman’s path to the Indy 500”
Second place in the Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism, for “Tennessee Jewish communities strengthen security amid rising antisemitism”
Honorable mention in the Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism, for “Nashville holds hate accountable in landmark civil rights conviction”
Honorable mention in The Michael Staenberg Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Philanthropy, for “A federation grant opened the door — Aurora Pfeiffer skated through it to win gold and silver”
Additionally, Vanderbilt University professor Shaul Kelner brought home first place for the Shalom Hartman Institute — Magazine, New York, NY, in the Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism, for “American antizionism.”
The Jewish Observer is published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville and made possible by funds raised in the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. Become a supporter today.