2008 Eliav-Sartawi Awards for Middle East Journalism

Click here to read the winning articles from the 2008 Eliav-Sartawi Awards.

The 2008 Eliav-Sartawi awards for Middle East Journalism awards ceremony, took place in Jerusalem, for the first time, on Tuesday, 11 November at the International YMCA. The event was a huge success. The 400 people in attendance formed a mixed audience of religious and secular Jews, Israelis, Internationals, West Bank Palestinians and Palestinian citizens of Israel (including a group of 20 Palestinian youth from Acre). John Marks, Founder and President of Search for Common Ground, hosted the event. He opened the night’s ceremony by expressing the vision behind the awards - to promote constructive Middle East journalism in order to inspire and instil hope for the people of the region.

Enhancing the evening’s moving tone was a viewing of the music video “In my Heart”, featuring Israeli icon David Broza and top Palestinian musician, Wisam Murad. Click here to view the music video.

The inspiration continued as each of the three female winners, Barbara Sofer, Marie Medina, and Tala Rahmeh, made their way to the podium to accept their plaques and make a brief speech. Their heartfelt speeches clearly articulated a deep commitment to peace in the Middle East and a dedication to promoting understanding and common ground through journalism. Click to read the speeches given by Barbara Sofer, Marie Medina, and Tala Rahmeh.

Live musical performances rounded out the evening and continued to enthuse the audience.  The six person band, Wala’at, known for their innovative traditional Arabic music fused with modern beats ranging from Reggae to a gypsy-like style, motivated audience members to leave their seats and dance to the music.  Wala’at’s songs vividly portray their experiences living in the mixed city of Acre. Preceding each song they spoke of the benefits of living in coexistence and how music is a powerful catalyst for bridging divides. Following Wala’at was the Israeli-born international sensation, David Broza. He seized the crowd’s attention immediately by exploding in a fury of a guitar instrumental so impassioned that many wondered if he was going to break guitar strings. It was clear from this mesmerising performance that music emanates from deep inside him. Broza clearly articulated his belief in peace between Arabs and Israelis as well as his support for the work of Search for Common Ground. He accomplished this not only through commentary between songs but also through improvised lyrics during the actual songs he played. The grand finale came when the two bands completely surprised the audience as they decided, on their own, to take the stage and perform the final song together as one group. It was at this point that the three winners stood up and joined hands to dance together in front of the stage.

This year’s awards ceremony not only awarded those journalists writing about the good work being done in the region to promote understanding and common ground but also created an event in which Jews and Arabs, secular and religious, Israelis and Palestinians could celebrate together. According to the numerous emails following this evening, the event can be summed up in two words – “inspiring” and “transcendental” and could not have been possible without the support of our sponsors J. Zel Lurie - the originator of the Eliav-Sartawi awards, The Jerusalem Foundation, The International YMCA in Jerusalem, The Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv and The United States Consulate General in Jerusalem.

Barbara Sofer accepts award	SFCG President John Marks and Acting Jerusalem Programme Director Sharon Rosen
Awardees Marie Medina, Barbara Sofer and Tala Rahmeh dance at the awards ceremony	Performance by Wala'at
Drummers shake hands	Awardees Barbara Sofer and Tala Rahmeh share a moment
David Broza performs	The bands play together
Musicians join hands

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