Musician Efi Netzer to Receive Special Citation

Journalism Award Winner: Yuna Leibzon (Channel 12 News)

Certificate of Merit: Roi Kais (Kan 11), Avital Indig (Makor Rishon)

B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem will hold on July 7 its 33rd annual Award for Journalism ceremony. The award recognizes excellence in reportage on the Jewish diaspora and Israel-diaspora relations in Israeli media.

The ceremony will be held on Monday, July 7, at 19:00, at the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center in Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem (light reception at 18:30).

Yuna Leibzon, a news correspondent for Channel 12 News, will receive the award in recognition of her series of articles on the Jewish community in the United States and her consistent coverage of U.S. Jewry, anti-Semitism and—since Oct. 7th—the surge in anti-Semitism in the United States.

Certificates of Merits will be awarded to Roi Kais of Kan 11 for his series on Jewish communities in Arab countries and Avital Indig of Makor Rishon for her series on New York’s Jewish community.

A special citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts in Memory of Naomi Shemer will be presented to musician and composer Efi Netzer. The citation, established in 2014, has been presented previously to Nurit Hirsh, David D’Or, Idan Raichel, David Broza, Yehoram Gaon, Shalva Band, Danny Sanderson, Shuli Natan, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Ilanit.

Haim V. Katz, chairman of the B’nai B’rith World Center, will deliver opening remarks. Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, will hold a discussion on press freedom with Leibzon.

Since its establishment in 1992, the B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism has recognized excellence in reporting on contemporary Diaspora Jewish communities and on the state of Israel-Diaspora relations in Israeli print, broadcast and online media. The award is widely recognized as the most prestigious prize in the Israeli media industry for Diaspora reportage and was established to help strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The award highlights the important contributions the media can make toward strengthening the relationship between Israel and world Jewry by encouraging quality reporting on Diaspora communities and Israel-Diaspora relations.

The distinguished members of the award jury include Dr. Yehudith Auerbach, former head of the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies, Bar Ilan University; Yaron Deckel, a previous Diaspora Reportage Award winner and regional director for the Canadian Jewish Agency for Israel; Professor Uzi Rebhun, Shlomo Argov chair in Israel-Diaspora Relations and head of the Division of Jewish Demography & Statistics, The A. Harman Research Institute of Contemporary Jewry director, Florence Melton Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Professor Gabriela Shalev, former Israel ambassador to the United Nations; Journalist Yair Sheleg; and Asher Weill, publisher and editor of “Ariel,” The Israel Review of Arts and Letters (1981-2003).

The award is presented in memory of the late Wolf Matsdorf, editor of the World Center’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia, and his wife Hilda, a pioneer in social work in both countries and in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky.

The event will be held in Hebrew with simultaneous English translation.

To attend the ceremony, please RSVP at etti@bnaibrith.org.

For further information, please contact:

Golan Yossifon, Spokesperson, B’nai B’rith – +972525625135

Alan Schneider, Director, B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem: 02-6251743; 052-5536441