There is no question that this is the most difficult piece I have been assigned to write for the Jewish Link all summer. It is more challenging than writing about college applications or bat mitzvahs, for summing up my summer internship in just a few paragraphs seems to be a nearly impossible feat.
I began to write for the Jewish Link in the middle of my sophomore year, when my neighbor, Steve Gutlove, approached me while I was playing basketball in my backyard and asked me to write about some of the Ma’ayanot sports teams that I am a part of. I wrote for the paper occasionally over the past year and a half, whenever there was a basketball game or some other sports-related event that I was involved in, but when the summer came around, I decided that I wanted to write more articles and maybe even have the chance to edit a few. And so, I became an intern at the Jewish Link.
With help from my editor, Elizabeth Kratz, I gained a myriad of writing and editing experience over the last four weeks. Though she always had her own work to do, Elizabeth would take the time to give me constructive criticism and praise for a job well done. She taught me how to not “bury the lead,” to watch my tenses, and most importantly, how to churn out a solid article in just an hour or two. She’d often say something along the lines of “Shana, we need another article for the Simcha section and it needs to be in by 2 p.m!” So back I would go to my handy dandy Google Docs account to compose a 600-word article in just an hour and a half.
With help from both Elizabeth and my fellow interns, I gained many useful skills over the last few weeks in addition to much writing and editing experience. I learned how to use the Associated Press style of writing, Google Drive and the incredibly confusing Adobe Acrobat. As a technologically challenged teen who can barely figure out how to download music onto her phone, I had much difficulty figuring out how to cross out or comment on documents that were sent to me on Adobe. But after many lessons and copious amounts of practice, I can finally say that I know how to use the system with ease.
As an intern at the Jewish Link, I did not do coffee runs or file papers on a regular basis. However, there was one instance when Moshe Kinderlehrer, one of the publishers, and Elizabeth decided to utilize my organizational skills and had me straighten out all of the archived papers that were in the office closet or on the desks. I spent the entire morning putting three boxes worth of old newspapers in date order. I did not mind, though, because, as I told Elizabeth, I like to organize.
Additionally, the office environment at the Jewish Link was always warm and welcoming. From day one, it felt like a place where I belonged and wanted to be. Nina Glick’s constant chatter in the office about everything from weddings to cooking kept me laughing for four weeks straight. Elizabeth was always typing away on her computer in the next cubicle, turning to me every so often to ask what I was working on, tell me to look something up or to find a picture for an upcoming article. That’s another thing about this internship. While the job does consist of a lot of writing and editing, there is also a lot of Googling involved. Elizabeth was constantly telling me to Google events, photos and much more. The search for interesting Bergen and World News briefs to put in each issue always began on Google as well. The Internet was my go-to for everything from new story ideas to checking the minyan times at all of the local shuls for the Annual Guide to Bergen County.
When I first began my journey at the Jewish Link, I did not know what to expect, but my experience as an intern here was better than anything that I could have expected or hoped for. I had real writing and editing assignments, my ideas were heard, and the work environment was cordial and cheerful. Although my summer internship is over, I will take with me the skills and experiences that I have gained at the Jewish Link and use them not only in my final year of high school, but for the rest of my writing career.
Before I officially sign off as a Jewish Link intern, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Elizabeth Kratz, the incredible editor at the Jewish Link, who oversaw all of my work and supported me at every turn. Thank you also to Moshe Kinderlehrer and the rest of the team at the Jewish Link for this rewarding and memorable opportunity.
Shana Adler, from Teaneck, is a senior at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls.
By Shana Adler
