B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Award winners announced for 2020

The award was established in 1992 to recognize excellence in reporting about Diaspora affairs, be they about Diaspora Jewish communities and Israel-Diaspora affairs, in both online and print media.

By OMRI RON
Bnai Brith in Washington 390 (photo credit: REUTERS/Str Old)
Bnai Brith in Washington 390
(photo credit: REUTERS/Str Old)
B'nai B'rith International, an organization dealing with human rights as well as Israel advocacy, has announced the winners for its 2020 B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage.
The winners are: Branu Tegene and Danny Kushmaro of Channel 12 News and Haaretz correspondent Dina Kraft.
Tegene a correspondent for Channel 12 news, and  news anchor Kushmaro will receive the award in the broadcast media category, for their 5-part series "Mefotzalim" (Split up: The story of the Ethiopian Jewish community). A series which followed the lives of Jewish Ethiopians who were left behind following the large wave of aliyah from the area, with several families being split up in the process.
Kraft will receive the award for print media for her articles about Jewish communities in the United States and Great Britian, called, respectively: The Pittsburgh Playbook; How a Community Began to Heal ; The Status of Antisemitism in Contemporary America and Britain.
"Even in the trying times when Israel and Jewish communities around the world are focused on facing the medical, social and economic fallout of the coronavirus epidemic, efforts must continue to maintain and strengthen the relationship between Israel and Diaspora communities around the world," Chairman Haim Katz and Director Alan Schneider said. "The B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem remains dedicated to that mission through the Award for Journalism and other significant programs that have been adapted to fit our new reality".
The award was established in 1992 to recognize excellence in reporting about Diaspora affairs, Diaspora Jewish communities and Israel-Diaspora affairs, in both online and print media. The award is intended to promote and strengthen the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora communities, emphasizing the way the media can assist in that task.
The awards are in memory of the late Wolf Matsdorf, editor of the World Center-Jerusalem’s journal “Leadership Briefing” and a journalist in Israel and Australia, and his wife Hilda, a pioneer in social work in both Australia and Israel, and in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky, and is funded by donations from the Matsdorf family and B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem board member Daniel Schydlowsky.
The members of the award's Jury are: Ya'akov Ahimeir, past editor and anchor, Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation and Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2016; Professor Yehudith Auerbach, School of Communication, Bar Ilan University; Professor Sergio DellaPergola, The Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University; Sallai Meridor, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former chairman of the Zionist Executive and Jewish Agency for Israel; Professor Gabriela Shalev, Higher Academic Council, Ono Academic College and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations; journalist Yair Sheleg; Asher Weill, publisher and editor of “Ariel” The Israel Review of Arts and Letters (1981-2003).