POTOMAC, Md. — A popular Jewish affairs television program produced by Chabad-Lubavitch of the Greater Washington Area claimed top national honors in the country's premiere public access TV award program. The award was announced recently by the Washington D.C.-based Alliance for Community Media.

"Diana, Mike and the Rabbi", a weekly discussion program shown on public access stations in the Washington-Baltimore area, received the first place award from the Hometown Video Festival in the religious/inspirational category. Judges in the national competition gave the program highest marks in both content and technical quality from among 2,800 entries entered across the country in eight categories.

The program, brainchild of Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, regional director of Chabad Lubavitch, features local personalities Diana Ely-Epstein and Michael Hoffman, along with Rabbi Kaplan.

Each edition explores a different aspect of Judaism. A lengthy profile of the show in the Washington Post recently described this as, "Every week, Judaism is put on the hot seat, sort of."

In the first segment co-hosts Ely-Epstein and Hoffman ask Kaplan pointed questions about a Judaism-related topic. In the next segment, Rabbi Kaplan presents a four-minute discussion, usually on the same or a related subject. A story by acclaimed storyteller Ely-Epstein rounds out the program.

"We've covered topics including Jewish voices on creation, Jewish tradition of change, the synagogue, science and Torah, Kabbalah, men's and women's roles in Judaism, life's priorities, and lessons of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Kaplan. "We decide the topics beforehand, but I never know the questions I will be asked. That's how we keep the program spontaneous."

"I think of it sort of as a 'Meet the Press' with the rabbi in the hot seat. The rabbi really gets grilled," Hoffman said.

"We keep tweaking the program to make sure it's always interesting and fresh," said producer Barry Holzsweig. "We were first runner-up last year, so I guess it's working."

Bunnie Riedel, executive director of the Alliance for Community Media, explained that the awards recognize excellence in the field of public access and community media, and that content carries more weight with the judges than technical achievement.

"We look at how well a program delivers its message, and how well it serves the community. Competition was pretty stiff, especially in this category," Riedel said.

Steven Fortried, Hometown Video judging coordinator, explained that "among the criteria considered in awarding the program were 'how effectively does the program examine a religious concept, tradition, practice, belief or event,' and 'did the program hold your interest, engage you emotionally, or stimulate greater thought and appreciation of the subject'."

"Diana, Mike and the Rabbi" received high marks in both those area, and an impressive "9" out of "10" for overall reaction. One judge commented that the producers "should feel confident to compete in the professional category."

The program is in its fourth year of production, and recently celebrated its 100th show with a gala taping party.

Rabbi Kaplan also co-hosts the weekly radio show "Awake, Alive and Jewish" with Hoffman. That discussion program has been running for 18 years.

Hoffman lives in Silver Spring and serves as Director of Development for Washington's Jewish Council for the Aging.

Ely-Epstein, whose voice narrates some of the exhibits at the United States Holocaust Museum, lives in Potomac and has worked as a radio personality for WMAL radio.