Georg-Stefan-Troller Prize awarded for journalism on Jewish life

The inaugural Georg-Stefan-Troller Prize was awarded at the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt am Main, marking the first journalism award in the German-speaking world dedicated to outstanding reporting on Jewish life and the fight against antisemitism. The prize, which carries a 12,000 euro endowment, is a joint initiative by the FAZIT-Stiftung and the Jewish Journalists Association (JJJ).

Nicholas Potter received the award for his book, ‘Die neue autoritäre Linke’ (The New Authoritarian Left). In a laudatory speech, Armin Laschet, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, praised the work for documenting how an activist, radical, and anti-Israel/anti-Jewish left has established itself within academia, the cultural scene, and political parties.

During the ceremony, speakers addressed the rising challenges of antisemitism. Laschet noted a dangerous mixture of right-wing, left-wing, academic, and Arab-influenced antisemitism that threatens social cohesion. Lorenz Beckhardt, Chairman of the JJJ, remarked that the trauma of the October 7, 2023, attacks remains misunderstood by the non-Jewish world, noting that the events served as a profound impetus for the creation of this award.