A crowd of more than 150 gathered at History Colorado for the 31st Annual Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society (RMJHS) Award Evening on May 15, 2025.
This year, RMJHS celebrated Colorado Jewish Journalism by presenting three veteran journalists with the Heritage Award: Chris Leppek, Kathy Neustadt, and Gary Shapiro.
“Every year we honor members of the community for their contributions—including physicians, photographers, and developers,” said University of Denver’s Jeanne Abrams Endowed Director of RMJHS Dr. Joshua Furman. “This year, we chose to honor journalists because we believe they are more important now than ever before.”
Leppek retired from the Intermountain Jewish News last autumn after 47 years as a reporter and editor. His freelance writing has appeared in The New York Times, Rocky Mountain News, Westword, Navy Times, and the Pueblo Chieftain, and he has received many awards for his work.
Shapiro retired from 9News in December 2022 after 40 years as an anchor, reporter, documentary producer, and sports reporter. He was a familiar face to early risers in Colorado as the anchor of 9 News mornings for 33 years. His work has earned numerous awards, including Emmys, Colorado Broadcasters Association Awards, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Documentary Reporting.
Neustadt is a retired freelance field producer for ABC News. She has covered many national stories including the OJ Simpson trial, the Unabomber, the LA Earthquakes as well as local stories including the Oklahoma bombing trials, Columbine, and JonBenet Ramsey. Neustadt recently completed her 10-year tenure on the Board of Trustees at the Rose Community Foundation. She is a former Chair of the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center Board of Directors and former Chair of the Mizel Arts and Culture Center Board.
Community Leadership Award
This year, the RMJHS reintroduced the tradition of presenting the Community Leadership Award. That honor went to Lena Fishman.
“Lena is deeply involved in the community in a variety of different ways,” Furman said. “She does so much in so many different arenas to contribute to Colorado’s robust and thriving Jewish community.”
Fishman is a board member of RMJHS and Executive Director of the Golda Meir House Museum. In addition, she works for the Michael Feiner Foundation, bringing “The Triumphant Spirit” exhibition, which is based on the book about Holocaust survivors by JEWISHcolorado President & CEO Renée Rockford, to new audiences. Fishman is also President of The Denver Kehillah, Denver’s newest modern orthodox synagogue and the mother to two teenage sons.
In accepting the award, Fishman invoked memories of Meir.
“Golda understood the importance of learning and preserving history,” Fishman said. “I know she would be proud of the impactful work that Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society engages in.”
Fishman talked about growing up personally and professionally in the Denver Jewish community. In a full circle moment, she recalled attending the JCC Preschool at a time when the Director was Nancy Livingston, z”l, a prominent member of the RMJHS. Phyllis Hayutin, who was one of her preschool teachers, now serves with Fishman on the board of RMJHS.
Fishman thanked many individuals and organizations who have supported her during the difficult months since October 7th when it became increasingly challenging to run a museum dedicated to the founder of the state of Israel on a college campus in the midst of protests.
“This evening has been so nice for me because I feel so loved,” she said. “I have so many friends here from all parts of my life, and I am so grateful to all of them.”
Three journalists with long résumés
Dr. Furman led the three honored journalists in a panel discussion of wide-ranging topics, including news coverage they had found most enjoyable, memorable, and difficult.
Neustadt recalled interviewing Shirley MacLaine at her New Mexico ranch and sneaking a quick opportunity while MacLaine napped.
“Everyone always comments about how heavy the Academy Award is,” Neustadt said. “I saw her Oscar in her office, and I picked it up. It really is heavy!”
Gary Shapiro, Kathy Neustadt, Chris Leepek, Dr. Joshua Furman, Lena Fishman
Shapiro remembered traveling to the Vatican in 1993 in advance of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Denver for World Youth Day. Shapiro and his photographer befriended the Papal photographer and received a special invitation to be on the stage with the Pope on Easter Sunday.
“We had incredible access at the Vatican,” Shapiro recalled. “I was this Jewish kid who got to meet the Pope and talk with him. He was a rockstar!”
Leppek told the story of interviewing Isadore Willinger, a member of the “Lost Battalion” of World War I soldiers. Willinger recounted how he was captured by the Germans and held in a POW camp in Belgium. While in the camp, he contracted the Spanish flu and slipped into unconsciousness.
“When he woke up days later, he discovered that the Armistice had been signed, American troops had liberated the POW camp, and the Red Cross had arrived,” Leppek recounted. “He survived combat, the flu, and being a POW. And when he arrived home in New York, he picked up the New York Times and read a list of soldiers killed in action. And there he found his own name.”
Leppek was the only honoree who is not Jewish. He was hired in 1977 by Miriam Goldberg z”l, the editor and publisher of IJN.
“She asked me, ‘What do you know about Jews and Judaism?’” he recalled. “And I said, ‘Absolutely nothing.’” But I did a lot of research and studying, and within three years I had earned the trust of the Jewish community. I have learned so much to admire about the Jewish people, religion, and culture, much of which I have incorporated into my own life.”
The future of journalism
Both Neustadt and Shapiro recalled Columbine as their most difficult day of news coverage.
“It was really the first mass school shooting of that magnitude, so we were learning how to cover it as we went along throughout the day, getting worse and worse information,” Shapiro says. “I was on the air for six straight hours. You do the best you can, but it hits you afterward.”
“I have now covered five mass shootings,” Neustadt said. “In some ways, journalists are first responders. We are impacted emotionally, and it takes its toll. After the shooting at the Boulder King Soopers, I decided I cannot cover another one.”
With regard to the future of journalism, the three journalists expressed both optimism and concern.
“In the future, local news may be on more platforms with fewer people watching on television,” Shapiro said. “But I believe people will still need local news, weather, traffic, and sports.”
“There has been a paradigm shift in how people are getting their news, especially young people,” Leppek added. “That can open the field to amateurs and people with dark motives.”
“Journalism has been changing so quickly even in the past couple years,” Neustadt said. “Who knows what it will look like in a decade? I hope there will still be journalism as we know it.”
Finally, a member of the audience asked the three journalists how they would like to be remembered.
“It was an honor to be in the field, covering stories, and being a storyteller,” Neustadt said. “I hope I will be remembered for doing my job well and doing it with humanity and compassion.”
“I would like to be remembered as a fair news reporter and TV anchor who, perhaps, occasionally brought humor to your day,” Shapiro said.
Leppek put it simply: “I hope I will be remembered as a good teller of tales, and this evening has been so nice because I received recognition for doing just that.”