It is surprising how fast seven weeks can fly by. Usually Jewish Link interns are supposed to stay for four to six weeks, and I watched many other interns come and go after each one contributed so much to the Jewish Link. I wasn’t ready to leave, though. I wanted to stay at least an extra week. Why? Well, the work environment was pleasant, those in the office were friendly and kind, and I liked the work I was doing. I would definitely also give credit to the wheely chairs that spin in circles. The large number of interns made me feel comfortable and in my element (we were a bunch of young adults). The office atmosphere was fun and I participated in and overheard many interesting conversations. My experience was altogether a positive one.

I like to learn. I like to learn for the sake of learning, and The Jewish Link accommodated me on that. They accepted many of my pitches that were on history and/or Torah, and assigned me to attend shiurim as a reporter. Elizabeth Kratz was supportive of me. Even if she rejected one of my pitches it was done with a smile or an alternative suggestion. Most often, though, she warmly showed enthusiasm for my pitches. Other topics were assigned to me. Elizabeth told us she likes to challenge the interns, to force us to write different types of articles. Personal pieces (like this one) took me out of my comfort zone as did ones for which I had to interview people over the phone and even face to face. It wasn’t easy, but it definitely was worth it because I learned so many journalistic skills.

Another skill I inevitably improved on the job was writing. I learned to write concisely, in fewer than 1000 words, and hence my writing became smoother and my vocabulary more developed. In fact, most of my time in the Jewish Link office was spent writing. However, twice I was asked to edit other people’s work before publication. Grammar is not my strong point. (Perhaps that is why I wasn’t asked to edit so often.) When I was assigned to edit a “batch,” and I wasn’t sure I could do it, Elizabeth, always pushing for her interns to have new experiences, insisted that I try. I was reassured that I was not the last pair of eyes to see the work before it went into the paper. That was smart on their part. Many eyes look at a given article before it makes it into the paper, which prevents too many typos and even more blatant errors.

I also came to appreciate the sheer amount of work that goes into producing a paper every week. The writers, the multiple eyes that read the work, the ads, the layout etc., all take time and effort. There was no rest for the weary because (almost) every Thursday (the paper goes to the printer on Wednesday night) there was an editorial meeting to take stock and plan assignments for the next week. Knowing what goes into the paper caused me to look forward to the finished product arriving on my front walkway every Friday (distribution is important too). It is satisfying and exciting to see my work, and that of my new friends on the Jewish Link staff, published.

This is the first time I have really had my work published, and my name became “known” to the community. Although “known,” is somewhat of an exaggeration, I was stopped on the street at least twice by someone with a comment on my article. Some of my parents’ friends emailed them or said something when they met them. This was an unexpected aspect of the Jewish Link experience.

For my amazing, educational, character-building experience, I want to thank all the people at The Jewish Link: my fellow interns; publisher Moshe Kinderlehrer; senior editor Jill Kirsch, who was so kind and helpful; Nina Glick, who was friendly and supportive; Elizabeth Kratz, whom I really dealt with for most of my time at The Jewish Link; and all the rest of the staff, who were amazing mentors. It was a seven-week experience that I will always cherish.

By Sara Schapiro

 Bergenfield’s Sara Schapiro is a recent graduate of Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for girls and and incoming freshman at Stern College for Women.