Curriculum
The Jacki and Jeff Karsh Journalism Fellowship equips journalists to report with depth, rigor, and clarity on Jewish issues in the United States and around the world. Fellows participate in three intensive retreats — in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. — engaging with leading journalists, scholars, policymakers, and innovators across the arts, media, and business.
As the world’s only journalism fellowship solely dedicated to Jewish topics, the program is resolutely nonpartisan and grounded in the principles of accuracy, independence, transparency, and accountability.
These abridged curricula are from the 2026 cohort. Full instructor bios can be found on the Instructor and Mentor pages.
Los angeles
Jan. 9-11, 2026
Agenda: We explore the American Jewish community through history, entertainment and culture. We’ll discover and connect the big themes that shape the Jewish experience.
| Day 1 – Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 | |
| 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. | The Jewish story behind the headlines Professor Sarah Stein |
| 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Shabbat dinner and discussion: Judaism in American Jewish life Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh, AJU |
| Day 2 – Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 | |
| 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Jews and Hollywood: Myths, Facts and Access Howard Gordon |
| 10:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Field visit: Hollywood Land – Jewish Founders and the Making of the Movie Industry Amy Homma |
| 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. | American Jews, Israel and Zionism Professor Dov Waxman |
| 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Exploring Jewish Narrative Structures in Journalism Aaron Henne |
| 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Dinner, My Media Jewish Journey, Alex Cohen |
| Day 3 – Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026 | |
| 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. | Breakfast, Rabbi Noah Farkas, CEO, Jewish Federation Los Angeles and Jacki Karsh, founder |
| 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. | Covering Jewish Communities Jennifer Medina |
Washington, D.C.
February 20-22, 2026
Agenda: Understanding the American Jewish community through civic engagement, antisemitism and U.S.-Israel relations.
| Day 1 – Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 | |
| 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Jews in Washington A conversation on how Jews function as a political force in Congress and the White House. Ron Kampeas |
| 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Shabbat dinner and discussion: The preeminent cookbook author Joan Nathan shares her home, food and insights on what Jewish food can tell us about Jewish community and culture Joan Nathan and special guests |
| Day 2 – Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 | |
| Breakfast at the hotel | |
| 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Antisemitism in America A historian looks at the American history of antisemitism and how it has manifested from the founding to the current day, including in the media, and the challenges of covering a shape-shifting phenomenon, including a discussion on antisemitism of the right and left, social media and contemporary conspiracy theories and how to identify and report on them. Pamela Nadell |
| 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Field visit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Lessons in covering hate and genocide Fellows examine the conduct of American journalists before and during the Holocaust, and how they exercised their responsibility. We will use the past to discuss current ethical issues facing journalists and society at large. Rob Eshman |
| 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. | How do Jews vote? What’s the impact and influence of Jews in elections, as a voting, donor and activist bloc? How can journalists best cover the story of Jewish vote in local and national elections, and how has Jewish party affiliation evolved? We’ll get an overview of current Jewish-related legislation, congressional caucuses, and how Jewish issues surface in federal policy making. Halie Soifer, Jewish Voters Resource Center |
| 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Reporting on antisemitism The journalist behind the newsletter Antisemitism Decoded will walk us through where he finds reliable numbers and sources and the challenges behind covering antisemitism on the right and the left. Arno Rosenfeld |
| 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Journalism projects brainstorming and check-in, Rob Eshman and cohort |
| 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Dinner and discussion, Circa, Seth Mandel, Senior Editor, CommentaryRob Eshman and cohort |
| Day 3 – Sunday, Jan. 22, 2026 | |
| 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Journalism in the fog of war A former Washington Post bureau chief and Stanford University lecturer will speak with us about the challenges of reporting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with accuracy, how to identify one’s own assumptions and blind spots in news reporting, the influence of social media on traditional news media’s ability to shape public perception of wars, and how digital platforms like TikTok have both augmented and complicated the narrative, offering a more diverse range of perspectives but also presenting challenges in verifying information. Janine Zacharia |
NEW YORK
March 20-22, 2026
Agenda: In these sessions we explore Jewish issues and challenges in covering the Jewish community with top journalists and thought leaders.
| Day 1 – Friday, March 20, 2026 | |
| 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. | Anti-Semitism And Anti-Zionism The relation between anti-Israel activism, antisemitism and anti-Zionism is at the center of campus, policy and legal debates. The author of the IHRA definition of antisemitism speaks to varying approaches to the issue and the policy implications. Kenneth S. Stern |
| 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Shabbat Dinner And Discussion With Rob Eshman “Why cover Jews?” Rob will reflect on 33 years covering Jewish community and issues and then…AMA. |
| Day 2 – Saturday, March. 21, 2026 | |
| 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Jews And Blacks In The American Mosaic CNN Commentator Van Jones discusses the challenges facing Black-Jewish relations in America, long a flashpoint of conflict and controversy. Van Jones |
| 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Field Visit – How The New York Times Covers American Jews: A newsroom tour and dialogue with a former Jerusalem bureau chief and former editor-in-chief of the Forward. We’ll discuss how the paper of record covers the Mideast and what makes a great Jewish story. Jodi Rudoren |
| 1 p.m to 2:30 p.m. | Lunch And Discussion, Schnippers Cohort and Jodi Rudoren AMA |
| 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Your Projects: Fellows will spend a few minutes each presenting their progress on the projects. Rob Eshman and cohort |
| 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Tools for Tackling Misinformation What are better tools for analyzing social media and AI, which makes reporting on Israel and antisemitism and other emotional issues such a challenge? What tools can journalists use to dissect online and citizen generated news and video? How can AI help? Jeremy Caplan |
| Day 3 – Sunday, March. 22, 2026 | |
| 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Why Covering Faith Matters: Religion shapes politics, culture, identity, and community — yet most newsrooms treat it as a niche beat. Fellows will hear from two journalists who have made faith their focus, exploring why religious literacy is essential for anyone covering American life today. Shira Telushkin and Mark Oppenheimer |
| 11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | A Commitment To Excellence: A final conversation to review the program, synthesize what we’ve learned, and establish goals for future learning, reporting and networking. Rob Eshman and cohort |
PROJECTS
Fellows will work on a reporting project while taking part in the program. With prior approval of their editor, they will pitch and develop a story while taking part in the fellowship and share their progress with the group. Each fellow will receive guidance and feedback on the story from a Karsh Journalism Fellowship mentor.
Fellows who are not formally employed by a media outlet will receive assistance in finding a suitable outlet for their project.