Announcing our new office and new editor in chief!
At around this time two years ago, I found out via a five-minute phone call that I would be the next New Voices editor and director of the Jewish Student Press Service. About six weeks later I began my first day in a room cluttered with archives and old financial records–one office in a suite of Jewish organizations collectively called Beit Shalom. Beit Shalom (Hebrew for “Peace House”) housed a range of small, liberal pro-Israel organizations including–at the time–the Union of Progressive Zionists (later to become J Street U), Habonim Dror, Hashomer Hatzair, Meretz USA, Givat Haviva, Ameinu and us.
It was a great place to work: most of us were young, relaxed and obsessed with Israel in one way or another. But in a way, JSPS never belonged at Beit Shalom. While almost every other organization there was concerned with liberal Zionist programming and advocacy, we were producing a magazine. I often found myself publishing content about our neighbors down the hall.
So, as our lease was coming to an end this year, we started looking elsewhere for a home that would be more appropriate to a news organization. And after weeks of meeting, packing, storing and recycling, I am ecstatic to announce that we have moved to a space in the offices of the Jewish Daily Forward.
While JSPS is and will remain an independent organization, we are very excited to be sharing space with the Forward— a storied, excellent publication that shares and embodies our commitment to independent Jewish journalism. We hope that being close to the Forward will enable us to pursue larger reporting projects in the coming years.
That future looks even brighter now, as we are happy to report that David A.M. Wilensky will be our next editor in chief and executive director. David, who graduates from Drew University this week, has been involved with New Voices for over a year–first managing our Twitter feed, then becoming editor at large and then serving as our web editor since this past February. In all of his capacities at New Voices, David has been effective, enthusiastic, creative and ambitious in his goals. We’re looking forward to his continuing that work at the helm of the organization during the next two years.
Aside from his New Voices work, David is the features editor of the Drew University Acorn, after having served as the Acorn‘s editor in chief last year. He is also on the editorial board of Jewschool and blogs on Jewish liturgy at The Reform Shuckle.
I have about six weeks left here, the next two of which are dedicated to organizing our baller national conference (register now!). I’ll be sad to go, but when I do I’ll know that JSPS will be in excellent hands and in an excellent office.
