We’re teenagers!
It’s an odd thing, but we’ve come a LONG way in a short period of time, when you think about it: We’ve grown from a Facebook group to an award-winning digital news and engagement platform that is replicable in a mere 13 years. Pretty hard to fathom, to be honest.
So about the replicable part: Jewfolk is thrilled to be launching a sibling site to TC Jewfolk – Cincy Jewfolk! Under the watchful eye of Lev Gringauz, we’ve already started telling some of the stories of Jewish Cincinnati via our e-mail newsletter. And almost half our team (Executive Director Libby Parker, Community Engagement Manager Genevieve Parker, and Lev, our associate editor as of Jan. 1), have all visited the community to get to know the people we’ll be covering and working with. Our plan is to have staff on the ground in the Queen City when the full Cincy Jewfolk website launches in the spring.
- This year we celebrated our B’Mitzvah with so many of you at our FolkFest ‘22 celebration at Minnesota Hillel, headlined by a concert from St. Louis Park’s own Peter Himmelman. And that was able to happen because we added our first development officer, Carli Shapiro, to our team.
- Our FolkMedia Consulting service has reached capacity, and that’s even after adding our second full-time hire this year, Emma Pelc, as our social media associate.
- We won three Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism from the American Jewish Press Association this year: First place for Award for Excellence in Writing About Jewish Summer Camp for the series Returning To Webster (Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5); First Place in the category Award for Excellence in Writing About Social Justice and Humanitarian Work for ‘Hiding In Plain Sight’: How A Family Lived At Shir Tikvah For 3 Years; Lev won honorable mention for Excellence in Writing About News for Why The U Wouldn’t Change Its Rosh Hashanah Start Date.
Incidentally, all three of those were among our most-read in 2021. So what was our most read this year?
January: Rabbi Michael Latz Resigns From Shir Tikvah
February: Governor Frontrunner Gives Platform To Self-Proclaimed Antisemite
March: My Jewish Boys Go To Catholic School & I Get Asked About It All The Time
April: The Harry Kay Leadership Institute: A Historic Mission Comes To Fruition
May: Beth El Rounds Out Clergy Team With Two Hires
June: Challah Dolly: Not Your Bubbie’s Challah
July: New Kosher Restaurant Coming To Prime Deli Space
August: Watch: Jensen Says Mask Mandates Like Kristallnacht
September: A Role Model To The End, Harold Smith Passes At 104
October: Plenty To Like At New Kosher Sushi Restaurant
November: Southside Shtetl Chanukah Market Set For Nov. 27
December: Minnetonka Police Find Trio Responsible For Adath Window Break
Most Listened To Podcasts
The Jews Are Tired: 80. State Of The Union (with Izzy Wellman, Carli Shapiro, and Emma Pelc)
Kuumba Hineni: 24. The Intersectionality of Abortion (with Laura Monn Ginsburg)
Not Your Bubbe’s Nosh: 1. Revamp! New Year, New Podcast, And YK Break Fast
Thank you so much for your support. Whether it was reading, listening, donating, commenting or sharing, we really appreciate you being a part of our community. Your donations are vital to our ongoing success and have enabled us to reach so many of you, whether online or in real life.
Whether you’re a daily reader, catch up in our weekly newsletter, listen to our podcasts or engage with us on social media, you are a part of the Jewfolk community and a big reason that we are able to succeed and grow each year. We thank you for your contributions and conversations and just generally being part of our world. We’re honored that you made us part of yours.
