By Reporter staff

The Reporter won a 2026 Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism, which was announced at the American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference in June. Arieh Ullmann won second place in the Excellence in Writing about Women category for his article “Discovering the fascinating life of a Tunisian Jewish female performer.” 
“As a lifelong academic researcher, I’m applying my training to investigating the background of each stamp that I acquire,” Ullmann said. “Discovering the astounding number and variety of Jewish personalities, the breadth of their endeavors and accomplishments spread across the globe, to me is the most exciting aspect of my hobby.”
In his article, Ullmann had noted of his research that, “Occasionally, there are surprises. One of them is my most recent purchase, an FDC from Tunisia featuring Marguerite Habiba Msika (1903-1930) issued in 2023 to mark the 120th anniversary of her birth. Who was this Habiba Msika? Thanks to Google it’s easy to find out. She was a Tunisian actress and singer, often called the ‘first star of Tunis.’ I suspect I am not the only one who had no knowledge of the brief, but extraordinary, career of Tunisian Jewish superstar Habiba Msika.”
This is Ullmann’s second Rockower Award. In 2024, he took second place for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Heritage and Jewish Peoplehood in Europe for his “Soccer memories of Zurich.” 
“I was so pleased to hear that Arieh had won a Rockower Award for his interesting article on Habiba Msika,” said Diana Sochor, executive editor of The Reporter. “I loved that a postage stamp inspired his research and well-written article, and can’t wait to find out what inspires him to write again.”