It wasn’t easy to start working here.
I should clarify that statement. It wasn’t easy to start working at The Jewish Link as a summer intern because of one of those descriptors. Specifically, the “summer” part.
I have always loved being a writer, and throughout high school I enjoyed working on the school paper. When I thought about my summer plans throughout my gap year this past year, I knew that I wanted to be writing during the summer. The Jewish Link was my favorite of the Jewish newspapers that I read at home. If I could pick any local newspaper to work for, that would be it. But my summers have typically been spent at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires—previously as a camper, and in recent summers as a counselor. I was not ready to leave the camp world behind just yet. Deciding to opt for having my (kosher) cake and eating it too, I decided to work as a counselor for one month and intern at The Jewish Link for another.
When I arrived at The Jewish Link toward the end of July, it was a bittersweet introduction. I was still upset about leaving my friends and campers, as I left camp early for the first time in years. But when I got to The Jewish Link office in Teaneck and began to get acclimated, I was surprised at how quickly I felt comfortable. When I arrived there were five other interns, who explained what I would be doing and showed me the ins and outs of the office. During my first day, I was given my first assignment and entrusted with a future article and interview. The very first question I was asked—by interns and staff alike—was, “Do you have any pitches?” I was so surprised, I kept answering no. I hadn’t expected to get to choose what to write about, especially not on the very first day.
As the summer passed and the number of interns in the office decreased, I found that I was being given increasing responsibility when it came to the assignments I received. At the same time, however, I was still given the freedom to choose what to write about. I appreciated that Elizabeth Kratz (associate publisher and editor), Jill Kirsch (senior editor) and Moshe Kinderlehrer (co-founder and publisher) thought that the interns’ input was just as important as what any typical contributor had to say. When I suggested and submitted articles, there was always a healthy amount of criticism. As someone who hopes to study writing in college, I appreciated that my work was critiqued and that I was always told directly what needed to be fixed.
Now it is nearly the end of the summer. I am the final intern in The Jewish Link office. As I write this, I am extremely aware that in a mere week and a half I will be moving into my freshman dorm at college. It is hard to believe that it has been four weeks since I arrived here and got settled at my first desk (I am currently on my third). In my short time here, I believe that my writing skills have improved, which was to be expected. However, I also improved in areas that I previously had not given much thought to. I learned how to conduct a proper interview. I learned how to correctly research an article to find as much accuracy as possible and make sure that readers read the truth and nothing less. I learned how a newspaper office handles the stress of organizing the events of each constantly changing week into a coherent, readable document.
My time at The Jewish Link is over for the summer, but I hope to return one day. Though I started apprehensively, I am extremely grateful that I was able to experience a month in the life of a Jewish Link staff member. Because that is what I felt like—a staff member. Thanks to The Jewish Link, I worked as more than just a typical intern. It wasn’t easy to start working here. But it isn’t easy to leave, either.
By Ariella Shua
Ariella Shua is a graduate of Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School and the Nativ Program in Israel. She is a rising freshman at Johns Hopkins University and a Jewish Link summer intern.
