JEWISH RENAISSANCE'S SEARCH FOR THE BEST WRITING BY A YOUNG PERSON ON TOPICS WITH A JEWSH CONNECTION

In January 2020 we launched the inaugural JR Young Journalist Prize. The prize was open to anyone aged between 16 and 25 living in the UK, and the requirements were excellent writing skills, thoughtful analysis and a lively approach. We were overwhelmed with both the quantity and quality of the submissions we received.

“We wanted to encourage engagement by young people with subjects spanning Jewish culture, community, history and heritage,” said JR’s former executive director, David Benmayer. “Given this was our first year running the competition, the response exceeded our expectations and we look forward to the prize becoming a mainstay for years to come.”

Entrants submitted original thought or opinion pieces of 500 words on any topic with a Jewish connection in the UK or globally. These covered various aspects, including religion, community and culture, and recent news items. The submissions were whittled down to a longlist of 10 and, after an intensive (but enjoyable) scoring process, a shortlist of six. The shortlist was then passed on to our esteemed judging panel, comprising: Guardian columnists Jonathan Freedland and Rafael Behr, writer and columnist Eve Peyser, film critic and broadcaster Jason Solomons and JR’s editor Rebecca Taylor.

THE JR YOUNG JOURNALIST PRIZE 2020 WINNER:

Noa Lessof Gendler (25)
Education Administrator at New North London Synagogue who challenged preconceptions by arguing that the Talmud should be utilised as a source of artistic inspiration.

THE SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES:

Alma Green (18); runner-up
A student at Edinburgh University who submitted a beautiful narrative exploring the world of Jewish gangsters.

Noah Libson (21)
A student at Goldsmiths, London, who wrote a politically charged piece calling for greater representation of young people in positions of community leadership

Tasha Kleeman (25)
A postgraduate student at University College London who questioned whether she was a British Jew or Jewish Brit, with a fresh angle and expression.

Hannah Radley (23)
A graduate of York University and King’s College, London, who described being the only Jew in a production of Fiddler on the Roof in a piece that was both funny and moving.

Frank Allen (20)
A University of Exeter student who wrote a well-informed and persuasive essay on the need for greater Muslim-Jewish solidarity.

Whilst all of the shortlisted entries deserve praise, we’re delighted to announce that the competition’s winner was Noa Lessof Gendler. Rafael Behr thought her article was “an accomplished piece of opinion writing that had a confident but unobtrusive authorial voice”, whilst Jason Solomons thought it had a “charming, quirky voice” giving a new slant on how we view our history. Jonathan Freedland added that Noa’s submission was funny and “packed full of arresting details”. The full article can be read in the April 2020 issue of JR magazine.

As the winner, Noa received a £500 cash prize, together with a column in JR for three issues and the opportunity of working alongside the JR editorial team, gaining first-hand experience of the publishing industry and developing her already well-honed writing skills.

We hope you enjoy reading the winning piece and head over to the JR blog where we’ve posted some of the longlisted and shortlisted entries.

Check back soon for details of the next JR Young Journalist Prize.

Presented in association with University Jewish Chaplaincy.