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Sermon Award

2024 Denny & Jerry Davidoff Semon Award:

Unitarian Universalists for Jewish Awareness (UUJA) is seeking entries for the 7th Denny & Jerry Davidoff Sermon Award. One prize of $500 will be awarded in June 2024.

Entrants can be UU ministerial aspirants, candidates and ordained ministers, other UU religious professionals (Religious Education Professionals, Music Directors, etc.) and lay members of congregations.

Inspired by recent events in the US, this year’s UUJA annual sermon award theme is repairing the world (Tikkun Olam) –  realizing the connection between Jewish values and emphasis on our justice work. 

This award is named in honor of the late Denny & Jerry Davidoff,  early members of this group, who were instrumental in helping lift up the often overlooked Jewish presence in our religious movement. UUJA offers resources to those interested in Jewish issues, celebrations and heritage, either personally or on behalf of congregations.

Sermons need to have been delivered between August 2022 – April 2024. 

Entries should be submitted via e-mail in Word or RTF document formats.

Please send all submissions to UUJA board member Arthur Thexton at athexton@hotmail.com.

Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2024.  

The winner will be announced concurrent with the 2024 UU General Assembly.  Honorable Mentions will be announced if appropriate at that time.

2023 Jerry and Denny Davidoff Sermon Contest:

The Rev. Charlotte Arsenault, for her sermon “Tale as Old as Time.” Video available also.
The selection committee also awarded an Honorable Mention:
Mr. Daniel Neuspiel, for his sermon “Responding to AntiSemitism.”
Thank youto all who entered!