Jewish teens across the country have stories to tell. This is one of the reasons why we started the JTA Teen Journalism Fellowship — to gain access to communities whose diverse perspectives are crucial in covering the full breadth of stories impacting Jews.
Our current fellows come to us from 10 states across the U.S. and have already hit the ground reporting on subjects ranging from a youth klezmer band to Texas Jewish teens’ plans to own guns in the wake of rising antisemitism. You can read more about all 12 of them below.
Meet Our Fall 2024 JTA Teen Fellows
Micah Bidner (he/him) is a junior at the Schechter School of Long Island. Micah serves as the Junior Editor-in-Chief of his school’s magazine, Paw Print, and as the Student Body Treasurer. In his free time, Micah enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with friends.
Eleanor (Nora) Giuffrida (she/her) is a sophomore at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. In addition to writing for The Horizon, the school’s newspaper, she enjoys reading, playing violin, composing music, taking photographs and learning Hebrew.
Lev Gottschalk (he/him) is a junior at Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland. He writes for the school newspaper Hamodiya and his school’s literary magazine. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, reading, research, following current events and hanging out with his sister and friends.
Cooper Coughlan (he/him) is a sophomore at Denver Jewish Day School in Colorado, where he serves as Editor-in-Chief of the school’s newspaper, The Paw, and as the student council communications director. Aside from journalism, Cooper also partakes in speech and debate and moot court. In his free time, Cooper enjoys cooking, politics, going to the gym and spending time with friends and family.
Tamar Grobman (she/her) is a sophomore at Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach, Florida. As the Editor-in-Chief of her school’s newsletter, Tamar is an avid reader and writer who is always on the hunt for new ideas. Outside of journalism, she has a deep passion for all things geography, history, and political science, and enjoys playing piano in her free time.
Tova Weiss (she/her) is a junior split-enrolled between homeschooling, Pioneer High School and Washtenaw Community College. She’s an editor for jGirls+ magazine, and her writing, both journalistic and otherwise, has been featured in various places. Outside of writing, she plays violin and flute, advocates on a number of social justice issues, and loves spending time with her friends and family.
Danielle Wolpert (she/her) is a sophomore at The Greene School in West Palm Beach, Florida. Outside of journalism, she has a deep passion for BBYO, Cheerleading, Bridge, and spending time with family and friends.
Eli Berk (he/him) is a junior at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. At school, he’s News Editor of the official school newspaper and a member of Miltones, an all-male a cappella group. In his spare time, Eli loves to experiment with gluten-free cooking, walk his dog Kensie and play with his rock band.
Mia Bomback (she/her) is a senior at Staples High School in Westport, CT, where she assumes the role of Managing Editor for her school paper, Inklings News. In addition to her involvement in Inklings, Mia has interned for a number of local media outlets, including The Westport Journal and prominent town blog, 06880, where she serves on the Board of Directors. Outside of journalism, she holds leadership roles in her school’s French Club and Model UN Club. In her free time, she enjoys playing golf, listening to music and going for ice cream runs with friends and family.
Hanna Sclar (she/her) is a junior at Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey. Hanna takes a journalism class at her high school and will be a writer for her school newspaper the Hi’s Eye next year. She is also part of DECA and the Key Club at her school. She has attended Camp Ramah in the Berkshires for 10 years and, in her free time, loves to hang out with her friends and cook.
Jaxson Kaplan-Rudolph (he/him) is a senior at the International Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The IA Overachiever, while also being featured as a guest writer in The Detroit Jewish News. Additionally, he has served as an apprentice with The Detroit Free Press, assisting political reporter Clara Hendrickson, while also writing independent articles and investigative pieces. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, performing music and competing in poetry contests.
Aria Knepler-Pearl (she/her) is a freshman at Akiba Yavneh Academy in Dallas, Texas, where she recently moved from Philadelphia. She writes for her school newspaper and is a member of the yearbook staff, mock trial team and other clubs. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, volunteering, babysitting, participating in Jewish programs, and spending time with friends and family.
