Five journalists on J.’s staff won awards from the San Francisco Press Club this week, presented at the organization’s annual gala dinner. The awards recognize excellence in journalism produced in the Bay Area.
J. The Jewish News of Northern California competed in the “print/digital – small newsroom” division for content published between July 2024 and June 2025, grabbing four second-place awards and one third-place award.
Editor-in-chief Chanan Tigay won second place in the “serious feature story” category for his in-depth report from Israel on the archaeologists who worked to identify those missing in towns and kibbutzim that were attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Managing editor Sue Barnett won second place in headline writing for this gem: “Scent creator and curator Mandy Aftel on the essence of perfume — from frankincense to wet dog.”
Deputy managing editor David A.M. Wilensky won second place in the news/political column category for intros to the Sunday J. email newsletter: one about his relationship with cannabis, one about his family’s history as enslavers and one about his anxieties following the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil.
News editor Gabe Stutman won third place in the general news story category for his October 2024 investigation of a local music summer camp community torn apart by a dispute over hiring an Israeli counselor.
And staff photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins won second place in the feature photography category for his photo of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie surrounded by religious and community leaders at an interfaith service the night before his inauguration.
“Through another tumultuous year, J.’s reporters have excelled at recording the experiences of the Northern California Jewish community,” said J. CEO Jo Ellen Green Kaiser. “It’s rewarding when our secular colleagues recognize what we already know: J.’s news team provides some of the best news coverage of our region, period.”
Added Tigay, “Every article that we publish is a group effort, and these awards are a testament to the hard work our team puts in every day to inform, connect and strengthen our community.”
The awards dinner was held at the well-appointed Julia Morgan Ballroom in the Financial District, emceed by Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer of KQED. The event included a keynote conversation with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who demurred about plans to run for governor when asked by moderator Heather Knight of the New York Times (formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle).
There were also lifetime achievement awards for three recently retired luminaries of the Bay Area news media: KTVU meteorologist Bill Martin, Politico California Playbook writer Carla Marinucci and KCBS political reporter Doug Sovern.
Each year the event brings together journalists from across all forms of Bay Area media, including community news organizations such as J.; niche publications like SF Classical Voice; San Jose State’s Spartan Daily and other campus newspapers; and larger outlets such as KQED, the Oakland Tribune, S.F. Chronicle, Business Insider and others.