This summer I had the privilege of working as an intern in Israel for The Jerusalem Post Lite. Not many people understand the “Lite” part of that title, and so I will explain the lesser-known branch of the newspaper. The Jerusalem Post Lite is an easy-English print publication that caters to people in Israel looking to better their English. There are also a series of magazine written in easy-English for children looking to improve their language skills.

I received this internship through the Jewish Federation and a program called Onward Israel. A representative from Onward sent my resume to different employers in Israel looking to hire a journalism
intern. I was grateful to be chosen for this internship because of what was on my resume; my experience here, at The Jewish Link, definitely qualified me for what the Lite was expecting.

During my time working for the Lite I learned how to write for a unique audience; tailoring the English language for people who are not fluent is harder than I thought. I would often simplify articles written on the Post’s website for the Lite’s weekly print issue, and underline new vocabulary words for them to learn. I had to fully understand the concepts the article was conveying and reword the sentence structure in a more comprehensible manner. I found myself playing around with sentences, trying to find the best way to word them. Instead of creating flowery prose, the way my English teachers always appreciated, I had to be concise and clear.

Because I worked hard, I was treated with respect by my fellow editors and I was given challenging work. I know that my confidence in my ability to succeed in this internship stemmed from the experience I gained working in the Link’s newsroom and learning about journalistic writing and the editing process.

I had such a great time getting to know the editors and graphic designers at the Lite, and I am grateful to have had this opportunity to do what I love– and in Israel, no less. I was very lucky to have this opportunity and I gratefully credit The Jewish Link for giving me the confidence and the qualifications to handle any writing task that has come my way.