Washington Jewish Week won three 2025 Dateline Awards for journalism excellence from the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The SPJ-DC chapter announced the list of winners and finalists at its annual Hall of Fame and Dateline Awards dinner at the National Press Club in the nation’s capital on June 10.
“This has been a challenging year for all of us. … We are honoring D.C.’s best and brightest, the people who exemplify a profession that strives to be diverse, inclusive and independent,” SPJ-DC board president Celia Wexler said in a press release.
Washington Jewish Week staff writer Zoe Bell won in the Weekly Newspaper, Breaking News category for her story titled “Jewish Man Attacked in Northwest D.C. in Alleged Hate Crime.”
Editor Aaron Troodler was the winner in the Weekly Newspaper, Features category for “‘He Was Just a Good Boy’: Silver Spring Native Remembers Her Son Who Was Killed in Gaza.”
In the Weekly Newspaper, Editorial/Opinion Writing category, Washington Jewish Week won for its house editorials.
“This was the first time we’ve entered the editorial awards contest for the Society of Professional Journalists. Given the quality of the competition, we weren’t sure how we would fare. Our staff works hard, and it showed with impressive results in receiving these awards,” said Mid-Atlantic Media CEO and Washington Jewish Week Publisher Craig Burke. “Being recognized by the SPJ justifies the quality of the content that we produce for our readers. We have talented journalists, and they’re supported by good design, sales and administrative staff. It was a successful day for Washington Jewish Week.”
In addition to its three awards, Washington Jewish Week was a finalist in two additional categories: Zoe Bell and Braden Hamelin and their series of stories about antisemitism in Montgomery County Public Schools was a finalist in the Weekly Newspaper, Non-Breaking News category, and Bell was a finalist in the Weekly Newspaper, Features category for her story titled “Jewish Soldier Laid to Rest 80 Years After His Death.”