J.J. Goldberg
Encyclopedia
J. J. Goldberg is Editor-at-Large of the newspaper The Forward
, where he served as editor in chief for seven years (2000-2007). He served in the past as U.S. bureau chief of the Israeli newsmagazine Jerusalem Report, managing editor of The Jewish Week
of New York, as a nationally syndicated columnist in Jewish weeklies, as editor in chief of the Labor Zionist monthly Jewish Frontier, as world/national news editor of the daily Home News (now the Home News Tribune
) of New Brunswick, N.J., and as a metro/police-beat reporter for Hamevaker, a short-lived Hebrew-language newsweekly published for the Israeli émigré community in Los Angeles.
Goldberg is the author of Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment, published in 1996 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. of Reading, Mass., which was named by The Philadelphia Inquirer
as one of the “100 Most Important Books of 1996” and was described by The New York Times
as a book that “can teach even the initiated a thing or two about American Jewish life in the postwar period.” His previous books include Builders and Dreamers (Cornwall Books, 1993) and The Jewish Americans (Bantam-Doubleday-Dell, 1992).
He has written numerous articles for The New York Times
, the Los Angeles Times
, Newsday
, The New Republic
, Columbia Journalism Review
, Salon
, Beliefnet
and other journals. He has appeared frequently as a guest on NPR, BBC radio and television, CNN and numerous European radio and television outlets. He briefly hosted his own interview program, “Inside the Issues with J.J. Goldberg,” on The Jewish Channel
. He developed and taught a course in Jewish political studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and he lectures regularly at colleges, synagogues and community centers across the country.
Goldberg was born in New York City and raised in Massapequa, Long Island, until age 13, when he moved with his family to Washington, D.C. After graduating Woodrow Wilson High School he moved to New York City in the winter of 1967, working in a picture-frame factory. He enrolled in McGill University in 1968, after spending a year on the Habonim Workshop at Kibbutz Urim in the Negev. At McGill he was active in the Student Zionist Organization, and was an editor of its weekly campus newspaper, otherstand. He became active in left-wing student Jewish causes nationally in the U.S. and Canada, including the Radical Zionist Alliance and the North American Jewish Students Network, where he was elected to the steering committee in 1970.
Before entering journalism, Goldberg lived and worked in Israel through much of the 1970s. He served as an education specialist at the World Zionist Organization
and was a member of the founding Gar'in (settlement group) of Kibbutz Gezer, near Tel Aviv, where he served a term as the kibbutz secretary-general. He has worked in the past as a taxi driver in New York City, a Jewish communal worker in Los Angeles and a construction laborer in Israel.
Goldberg’s writing has been honored numerous times by the Simon Rockower Award
of the American Jewish Press Association, the Better Newspaper Awards of the New York Press Association and the Ippy Awards of the Independent Press Association. In 2009 he was a finalist, along with Nathaniel Popper, in the Deadline Awards, public service category, of the Society of Professional Journalists
-New York chapter, honoring the Forward’s coverage of the kosher food industry. In 1987 he won the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award and the Ohio State Award for his radio documentary on Jewish popular music, “One People, Many Voices,” which was first broadcast nationally on National Public Radio in 1986. He earned a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University
in 1985 and a B.A. in Jewish studies
and Islamic studies at McGill University in 1972, along with certificates in film animation from the School of Visual Arts
and in kibbutz supply purchasing from the Ruppin Institute (now the Ruppin Academic Center) near Hadera.
Goldberg has participated in numerous international colloquia on Israel-Diaspora relations and Jewish communal policy convened by the Jewish People Policy Institute, the Office of the President of Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
and other agencies. He has served as a member of the central committees of the Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim Federation, the Israel Labor Party Young Guard and Habonim (now Habonim-Dror), and was a sharpshooter in the Israel Border Police
civil guard. He has been a member of the Pulitzer Prize
jury and a board member of the Foundation for Jewish Journalism.
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, where he served as editor in chief for seven years (2000-2007). He served in the past as U.S. bureau chief of the Israeli newsmagazine Jerusalem Report, managing editor of The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week is an independent weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. The Jewish Week covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC and has world-wide distribution.-Editorial staff:...
of New York, as a nationally syndicated columnist in Jewish weeklies, as editor in chief of the Labor Zionist monthly Jewish Frontier, as world/national news editor of the daily Home News (now the Home News Tribune
Home News Tribune
Home News Tribune is a newspaper of New Jersey, serving the Middlesex County area of Central Jersey. The paper has an average daily weekday circulation of about 49,000. The newspaper is the result of a mid 1990s combination of The Home News of East Brunswick and The News Tribune of Woodbridge...
) of New Brunswick, N.J., and as a metro/police-beat reporter for Hamevaker, a short-lived Hebrew-language newsweekly published for the Israeli émigré community in Los Angeles.
Goldberg is the author of Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment, published in 1996 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. of Reading, Mass., which was named by The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
as one of the “100 Most Important Books of 1996” and was described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as a book that “can teach even the initiated a thing or two about American Jewish life in the postwar period.” His previous books include Builders and Dreamers (Cornwall Books, 1993) and The Jewish Americans (Bantam-Doubleday-Dell, 1992).
He has written numerous articles for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
, Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, Beliefnet
Beliefnet
Beliefnet is a large multi-faith e-community that aims to provide a free forum for religious information and inspiration, spiritual tools, and discussions and dialogue groups. Beliefnet provides information about various religious and spiritual beliefs, ranging from Christian denominations to...
and other journals. He has appeared frequently as a guest on NPR, BBC radio and television, CNN and numerous European radio and television outlets. He briefly hosted his own interview program, “Inside the Issues with J.J. Goldberg,” on The Jewish Channel
The Jewish Channel
The Jewish Channel is a cable television channel available on Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, and Cox Cable. Approximately 45,000 households subscribe to the channel.-External links:* *...
. He developed and taught a course in Jewish political studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and he lectures regularly at colleges, synagogues and community centers across the country.
Goldberg was born in New York City and raised in Massapequa, Long Island, until age 13, when he moved with his family to Washington, D.C. After graduating Woodrow Wilson High School he moved to New York City in the winter of 1967, working in a picture-frame factory. He enrolled in McGill University in 1968, after spending a year on the Habonim Workshop at Kibbutz Urim in the Negev. At McGill he was active in the Student Zionist Organization, and was an editor of its weekly campus newspaper, otherstand. He became active in left-wing student Jewish causes nationally in the U.S. and Canada, including the Radical Zionist Alliance and the North American Jewish Students Network, where he was elected to the steering committee in 1970.
Before entering journalism, Goldberg lived and worked in Israel through much of the 1970s. He served as an education specialist at the World Zionist Organization
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
and was a member of the founding Gar'in (settlement group) of Kibbutz Gezer, near Tel Aviv, where he served a term as the kibbutz secretary-general. He has worked in the past as a taxi driver in New York City, a Jewish communal worker in Los Angeles and a construction laborer in Israel.
Goldberg’s writing has been honored numerous times by the Simon Rockower Award
Simon Rockower Award
The Simon Rockower Award is a prestigious award given for "Excellence in Jewish Journalism". The award is sponsored by the American Jewish Press Association.- List of Categories/Divisions :Category 1: The Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary...
of the American Jewish Press Association, the Better Newspaper Awards of the New York Press Association and the Ippy Awards of the Independent Press Association. In 2009 he was a finalist, along with Nathaniel Popper, in the Deadline Awards, public service category, of the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
-New York chapter, honoring the Forward’s coverage of the kosher food industry. In 1987 he won the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Award and the Ohio State Award for his radio documentary on Jewish popular music, “One People, Many Voices,” which was first broadcast nationally on National Public Radio in 1986. He earned a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1985 and a B.A. in Jewish studies
Jewish studies
Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...
and Islamic studies at McGill University in 1972, along with certificates in film animation from the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
and in kibbutz supply purchasing from the Ruppin Institute (now the Ruppin Academic Center) near Hadera.
Goldberg has participated in numerous international colloquia on Israel-Diaspora relations and Jewish communal policy convened by the Jewish People Policy Institute, the Office of the President of Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
and other agencies. He has served as a member of the central committees of the Ihud HaKvutzot VeHaKibbutzim Federation, the Israel Labor Party Young Guard and Habonim (now Habonim-Dror), and was a sharpshooter in the Israel Border Police
Israel Border Police
The Israel Border Police is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav , meaning border guard, whilst its members are colloquially known as Magavnikim . Border Guard is often used as the official name of the...
civil guard. He has been a member of the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
jury and a board member of the Foundation for Jewish Journalism.
Books
- Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1996.
- Builders and Dreamers: Habonim Labor Zionist Youth in North America. Cornwall Books, 1993. (editor)
- The Jewish Americans. Bantam-Doubleday-Dell, 1992.
External links
- J.J. Goldberg, The ForwardThe ForwardThe Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
.