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PictureYa’akov Ahimeir

​The winners of the 2016 B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportaģe in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf were announced on May 26 in Jerusalem. The winners are Amanda Borschel-Dan, the Times of Israel’s Jewish World editor and Allison Kaplan Sommer, staff writer at Ha’aretz. Both journalists submitted an impressive array of articles on Diaspora communities published during 2015.
 
Additionally, the award jury decided to present a Lifetime Achievement Award in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky to Ya’akov Ahimeir, senior Israel Broadcasting Authority journalist. He is currently editor and presenter of the Saturday night foreign news and culture magazine show “Ro’im Olam” (Seeing the World), on Israel television. Ahimeir also appears on the Voice of Israel’s daily radio news program HaBoker HaZeh (This Morning). In 2012, Ahimeir was awarded the Israel Prize in journalism.
 
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 and electronic media. The award is widely recognized as a prestigious prize in the Israeli media industry and was established to help strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. It was established to highlight the important contributions the media can make toward strengthening the relationship between Israel and world Jewry—so essential for the resilience of both—by encouraging quality reporting on Diaspora communities and Israel-Diaspora relations. 

PictureAmanda Borschel-Dan

“The winners of this year’s awards are outstanding journalists who have dedicated their careers to Diaspora reportaģe and Israel-Diaspora relations. They represent dedication, professionalism and intellect and were chosen from a field of 14 excellent candidates for the award,” B’nai B’rith World Center Director Alan Schneider said. “Diaspora Jewry and Israel-Diaspora relations continue to generate considerable interest among Israeli journalists, and those who excel deserve encouragement and recognition through this important awards project.”

​The distinguished members of the award jury are: Asher Weill, chair, publisher and editor of ARIEL- The Israel Review of Arts and Letters from 1981-2003; Yehudith Auerbach, professor in the School of Communication at Bar Ilan University; Gabriela Shalev, former Israel ambassador to the United Nations and professor at Ono Academic College; Bambi Sheleg, founder of Eretz Acheret, a staff member at Mandel School for Educational Leadership and a 2011 award winner; and Shalom Kital, former general director for News Company, Channel 2.


PictureAllison Kaplan Sommer

“This award was created to strengthen Israel-Diaspora relations by recognizing journalists who have excelled at covering Jewish communities around the globe,” B’nai B’rith World Center Chairman Haim V. Katz said. “It is important to recognize these outstanding journalists for their insightful and inspiring work.”
 
The B’nai B’rith World Center Award for Journalism is named for the late Wolf Matsdorf and his wife Hilda. Wolf was an editor of the B’nai B’rith World Center Journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia. Hilda was a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel. The Lifetime Achievement Award is named for Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky. 
 
The award is made possible through donations from Daniel Schydlowsky, a professor and a member of the B’nai B’rith World Center International Board of Governors (Lima, Peru and Washington D.C.), and the Matsdorf family.