Fellowship Program

Colleagues watch as Fellow Aga Ignieska scans Yiddish books for the digital library.

About the Yiddish Book Center Fellowship Program:

The Fellowship Program offers talented young college graduates who are passionate about Yiddish language and culture the opportunity to spend a year as full-time Yiddish Book Center staff, learning new skills and deepening their own knowledge of Yiddish language, literature, and culture.  Fellows provide content for existing programs and spearhead new projects. 

Fellows work in a number of areas, including:

  • Books & Collections — developing, digitizing, and curating our collection of Yiddish books, audio books, and archival materials
  • Education & Outreach —developing onsite and online opportunities for education in Yiddish language and culture
  • Oral History & Ethnography —collecting, editing, and curating stories and cultural artifacts of Jewish life

Past Fellows have done important work, including:

  • Launching the The Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project
  • Curating the Center’s permanent exhibition on Yiddish literature
  • Digitizing rare audio recordings of renowned Yiddish writers
  • Developing online courses and exhibits
  • Organizing a conference on Yiddish translation and administering a new translation grant program.
  • Creating and leading educational tours of the Center
  • Writing for and serving as managing editor of the Yiddish Book Center’s magazine, Pakn Treger

Applicants should be recent college graduates with strong backgrounds in Jewish studies or related disciplines,  a working knowledge of Yiddish, and demonstrated interest in Yiddish language and culture. The program runs from September 2013 through August 2014. Each Fellow receives a stipend of $28,000 plus health insurance.

How to apply:

To apply please send the following materials to Amy Leos-Urbel,  Director of Educational Programs, at aleos-urbel@bikher.org:

  • Cover letter addressing why you want to be a Yiddish Book Center Fellow, as well as your relevant interests and experiences
  • Resume
  • Official academic transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate work
  • Three letters of reference (including at least one from an academic instructor and at least one from a professional supervisor)

Application deadline is past for the 2013-2014 Fellowship. Check back for next year's program!

If you have questions, please contact Amy at aleos-urbel@bikher.org or 413.256.4900 ext.131.
 

Comments from last year’s Fellows:

"Thank you so much for letting me have this opportunity.  I have loved working with truly wonderful people who have been so supportive and have become very good friends.  Thanks for such a great year!"

"I appreciated that we were given the chance to work on many different types of projects… I also really appreciated the trust and responsibility we were given within the organization, and learned a lot from the experience, both about the work I was doing and about my own work habits. I think the fellowship is wonderful as a first full-time job; I had a lot of support and reassurance when I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and a lot of room to learn…I’ve greatly enjoyed working here, and have learned a lot. "

"(I had) the chance to work for a significant cultural organization and help shepherd along concrete projects. There were several moments of real pride at having gotten things done from start to finish, and at seeing actual people out in the world benefit from what the Book Center did and does. "

"Would I recommend this program to other people I know?  YES! I had an amazing experience at the Book Center… I found the staff to be supportive, energetic, thoughtful, and open to new ideas. I found it a pleasure to work with every single person I worked with."

 

Attached Files: 
application/pdf iconfellowship_poster_2013.pdf