The Forward - Jews of Color Fellowships
JEWS OF COLOR FELLOWSHIPS
The Forward has opened two positions within its fellowship program, both aimed at diversifying the pipeline of individuals who work in Jewish media. These year-long fellowships, supported by the Jews of Color Initiative (JoCI) and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, are full-time roles in the newsroom or on the business side at the nation’s leading Jewish journalism outlet. Specific responsibilities will be determined based on matches between applicants’ skills and interests and organizational needs. Our fellowship program includes professional development and mentoring by leaders in the field.
Jews of color are underrepresented in Jewish and secular media organizations. We aim with these fellowships to help broaden and strengthen a pipeline for Jews of color into Jewish media to better reflect the full diversity of the American Jewish population in media coverage, community conversations and decision-making.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for opportunities within the fellowship program.
We like to think of the Forward as a 125-year-old startup. Founded as a Yiddish, socialist broadsheet in 1897, it taught generations of Jewish immigrants how to be American. The publication has been fully digital since 2019 and reaches 1.5 million people each month across platforms, with news, culture, opinion, podcasts, and social media committed to exploring the full range of American Jewish experiences and perspectives.
Applicants should specify what area of journalism or nonprofit media they would most like to work on and cite relevant qualifications. Some possibilities include:
In the newsroom:
Reporting and writing news and/or culture stories
Multimedia storytelling
Working directly with the editor-in-chief on strategic projects and her column
Audience engagement, analytics, and social media
Commissioning, editing, and creating opinion pieces
Copy editing
Data reporting and visualization
On the business side:
Marketing, public relations, and events
Stakeholder engagement and fundraising
Product/Tech/Project management
Fellows will work alongside members of the Forward staff in one or more of the above areas and will own/lead at least one major project during the year. Each fellow will be assigned a buddy/mentor who is not their direct supervisor to help them integrate into the Forward and the industry. They will also have regular workshops and meetings with the fellowship coordinator, Talya Zax, herself a former Forward fellow, and participate in staff meetings and professional development seminars.
Successful applicants will be fundamentally curious about our diverse Jewish communities and have some relevant experience in media, nonprofits, or both. Strong communication and analytical skills, entrepreneurial spirit and a team-orientation are a must; multimedia, data, coding, and social-media fluency are pluses.
Fellows who live in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state area will be expected to work in-person at our office in Lower Manhattan twice a week. Candidates from elsewhere who can work remotely are welcome to apply.
Each fellowship lasts 12 months, with an annual salary of $46,000. Fellowships are News Guild positions and receive generous health benefits, paid time off for national and Jewish holidays, and other perks. Flexible start date, ideally between July 1 and October 1, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
To apply: Send a resume and cover letter that outlines your specific area(s) of interest, plus three to five samples of journalism-related work for those interested in the newsroom, to jocfellowship@forward.com, subject line: JoC fellowship.
The policy of the Forward is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (40 and over),
disability, military status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. The Forward also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.