About Me
I'm a Senior Reporter for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and a writer, editor and podcaster with 10+ years of experience in journalism and publishing.
My 2021 podcast "Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story" was produced by Tablet Studios and Exploring Hate, a reporting initiative from New York's PBS affiliate WNET. It received national press coverage and contributed to a broader American rediscovery of the story of Father Coughlin and his fascist media demagoguery. Currently based in Ann Arbor. Past: DC, Chicago, Paris, Detroit.
Prior to my current job I was the Editor for the Detroit Jewish News, where I oversaw the editorial direction and digital strategy of the historic publication. Under my tenure, DJN received 13 awards from the Society for Professional Journalists-Detroit chapter and was the only religious news organization in 2020 to be selected as a Report For America host newsroom.
You may also know me as a longtime freelance film critic, journalist, podcaster and media analyst. You may have read my film reviews on NPR.org, seen my "Chai Brow" column in Moment, heard me on WBUR’s Here & Now or seen my tweets about biking.
Previously I was an Assistant Editor for the public media trade publication Current, a Film Critic in Residence at the streaming service Kanopy, the Publications Manager for the Chicago International Film Festival, the editor of the Fringeworthy theater blog for the Washington City Paper, an editorial fellow at Government Executive magazine and an intern for NPR. I’m also the book critic for Michigan Alumnus.
I have received the Rias Berlin journalism fellowship, the Tent Creative Writing Fellowship, the Young Critic’s Workshop fellowship at Film Fest Ghent, the Bear River Writing Conference Fellowship and the Hopwood Award for short fiction. I am also a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Currently I'm interested in opportunities relating to: features writing, podcasting/public radio, film festivals/programming, and speaking engagements.
And if you're a reporter, writer, photographer or designer in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area looking for freelance opportunities, please reach out to me on the Contact page.
I'm a Senior Reporter for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and a writer, editor and podcaster with 10+ years of experience in journalism and publishing.
My 2021 podcast "Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story" was produced by Tablet Studios and Exploring Hate, a reporting initiative from New York's PBS affiliate WNET. It received national press coverage and contributed to a broader American rediscovery of the story of Father Coughlin and his fascist media demagoguery. Currently based in Ann Arbor. Past: DC, Chicago, Paris, Detroit.
Prior to my current job I was the Editor for the Detroit Jewish News, where I oversaw the editorial direction and digital strategy of the historic publication. Under my tenure, DJN received 13 awards from the Society for Professional Journalists-Detroit chapter and was the only religious news organization in 2020 to be selected as a Report For America host newsroom.
You may also know me as a longtime freelance film critic, journalist, podcaster and media analyst. You may have read my film reviews on NPR.org, seen my "Chai Brow" column in Moment, heard me on WBUR’s Here & Now or seen my tweets about biking.
Previously I was an Assistant Editor for the public media trade publication Current, a Film Critic in Residence at the streaming service Kanopy, the Publications Manager for the Chicago International Film Festival, the editor of the Fringeworthy theater blog for the Washington City Paper, an editorial fellow at Government Executive magazine and an intern for NPR. I’m also the book critic for Michigan Alumnus.
I have received the Rias Berlin journalism fellowship, the Tent Creative Writing Fellowship, the Young Critic’s Workshop fellowship at Film Fest Ghent, the Bear River Writing Conference Fellowship and the Hopwood Award for short fiction. I am also a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Currently I'm interested in opportunities relating to: features writing, podcasting/public radio, film festivals/programming, and speaking engagements.
And if you're a reporter, writer, photographer or designer in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area looking for freelance opportunities, please reach out to me on the Contact page.
Works
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Since 2021 I have been a reporter with JTA, a digital news platform and historic wire service covering the Jewish world. At JTA, I cover a range of topics including antisemitism, Israel discourse in America, Holocaust memory, Jews on college campuses, arts and culture, and what we like to refer to as "the Yikes beat."
Here is a sampling of my work.
The Florida mom who got Amanda Gorman's poem restricted says she's sorry for promoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion
Florida rejects Holocaust education textbooks in clampdown on 'woke' instruction
Florida high school pulls graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's diary, saying it is 'not age appropriate'
American rabbis, wrestling with Israel's behavior, weigh different approaches from the pulpit
U of Vermont agrees to improve antisemitism training, ending federal case and capping a tumultuous year
Connecticut College students are in revolt after president's planned talk at Florida club with antisemitic and racist past
With 'Let It Be Morning' and 'Cinema Sabaya,' Israeli filmmakers are winning awards for portraying Palestinian stories
Alleging exclusion, Jewish faculty boycott James Madison University's Holocaust commemoration event
Texas school board that banned Anne Frank book invited Messianic 'rabbi' charged with sexual assault to open meeting with prayer
He'Brew maker Shmaltz Brewing relaunches with new owner: a rabbinical student
Here is a sampling of my work.
The Florida mom who got Amanda Gorman's poem restricted says she's sorry for promoting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion
Florida rejects Holocaust education textbooks in clampdown on 'woke' instruction
Florida high school pulls graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's diary, saying it is 'not age appropriate'
American rabbis, wrestling with Israel's behavior, weigh different approaches from the pulpit
U of Vermont agrees to improve antisemitism training, ending federal case and capping a tumultuous year
Connecticut College students are in revolt after president's planned talk at Florida club with antisemitic and racist past
With 'Let It Be Morning' and 'Cinema Sabaya,' Israeli filmmakers are winning awards for portraying Palestinian stories
Alleging exclusion, Jewish faculty boycott James Madison University's Holocaust commemoration event
Texas school board that banned Anne Frank book invited Messianic 'rabbi' charged with sexual assault to open meeting with prayer
He'Brew maker Shmaltz Brewing relaunches with new owner: a rabbinical student
Film Writing
From 2011 to 2020 I wrote weekly film reviews for NPR.org, which are then syndicated across the public radio web network. You can find a complete back catalog of my reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where I am a designated “top critic.” I was also a regular contributor to Pitchfork’s film website The Dissolve for the entirety of its two-year run, 2013-2015.
"Give Me Liberty" (NPR, 2019)
"Who Needs Social Realism?" (Jewish Currents, 2019)
"Bacurau" (The Economist, 2019)
Venice 2018: Can You Make A Non-Political Film About Politics? (No Film School, 2018)
“Joe Frank: Somewhere Out There” (Music & Literature, 2018)
“The Glass Castle” (Uproxx, 2017)
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival coverage (IndieWire, 2017)
“Bleed For This” (Slate/Vulture, 2016)
“Nuts!” Director Penny Lane Interview (National Geographic, 2016)
Truly Inconvenient Truths: “The Island President” (Oscilloscope Musings, 2016)
Oscar-Winning Documentaries Available for Streaming (The New York Times, 2016)
‘Goodbye to Language’ doesn’t mean goodbye to comprehension (The Dissolve, 2015)
The French Comedy Too Controversial For America (The Forward, 2015)
Ctrl + Alt + Doc: A Year After Hitting Reset, AFI Docs Is Still In Transition (Washington City Paper, 2014)
Film Fest Ghent: Party Time in Hell (Photogenie, 2014)
"Frances Ha" and the Dangers of Post-Woody Allen-ism (Tablet, 2013)
“Red Hook Summer” (The Atlantic, 2012)
Audio
Discussing the burning of Notre Dame (Morning Edition, 2019)
Interview: Venice Film Festival (Here & Now, 2018)
"The King": What Elvis Reveals About America (Here & Now, 2018)
“The 15:17 to Paris” and other films that cast real-life veterans (Here & Now, 2018)
Assessing the likely Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nominees (Here & Now, 2017)
Current’s “The Pub” podcast: 100th episode: written, produced and hosted by me (Current, 2017)
Interviewed on “The Frame” for a story about the Writer’s Guild of America negotiations (KPCC, 2017)
Radio scripts for “Yale Climate Connections” (2016-2017)
TV Criticism
"My Brilliant Friend" (The Economist, 2018)
“Wormwood” (Vulture, 2017)
“Sherlock” (Vulture, 2015-2017)
“The OA” (Vulture, 2016)
“Baskets” (Vulture, 2016)
“Marseille” (Vulture, 2015)
Theater Criticism
“Die Hard: The Musical” (Chicago Reader, 2015)
“Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War” (Washington City Paper, 2015)
“The Tempest” (Washington City Paper, 2014)
Book Criticism
I am a regular appointed book critic for Michigan Alumnus magazine, where I review fiction and nonfiction offers by University of Michigan alums for the seasonal print publication.
“The Mothers” (Michigan Alumnus, 2016)
“Owen Gleiberman: Movie Freak” (Michigan Alumnus, 2016)
“Three and Out: Michigan and Rich Rodriguez in the Crucible of College Football” (NPR, 2012)
Feature Reporting
How Notre Dame, "Vast Symphony in Stone," Weaves Its Way Through Parisian History (NPR, 2019)
KCRW Berlin, One Year In (Current, 2018)
Insta-Lizzie (Michigan Alumnus, 2018)
Steve Bannon’s strange forays into public television (Current, 2017)
Amir Came Home (Michigan Alumnus, 2017)
No Label, No Problem (Michigan Alumnus, 2017)
Reporting from the Third Coast International Audio Festival (Current, 2016)
Traveling through the Minnesota State Fair with Chris Thile and “A Prairie Home Companion” (Current, 2016)
Lasers in Abraham Lincoln’s Petworth cottage (DCist, 2014)
A Tiny House Divided (Washington City Paper, 2014)
After Deepwater (Government Executive, 2012)
Other Writing
Published in “Speculative Fiction 2014: The Best of Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary” (Book Smugglers Publishing, 2015).
Published in “In the Name of Editorial Freedom: 125 Years of the Michigan Daily” (University of Michigan Press, 2015)
My essay for the book, “Cut to Michigan,” discusses the rise and fall of the state of Michigan’s tax incentives for filmmakers. It can only be read in print.
Opinion: “Let’s Clean Our Plates” (Washington Post, 2014)
From 2011 to 2020 I wrote weekly film reviews for NPR.org, which are then syndicated across the public radio web network. You can find a complete back catalog of my reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where I am a designated “top critic.” I was also a regular contributor to Pitchfork’s film website The Dissolve for the entirety of its two-year run, 2013-2015.
"Give Me Liberty" (NPR, 2019)
"Who Needs Social Realism?" (Jewish Currents, 2019)
"Bacurau" (The Economist, 2019)
Venice 2018: Can You Make A Non-Political Film About Politics? (No Film School, 2018)
“Joe Frank: Somewhere Out There” (Music & Literature, 2018)
“The Glass Castle” (Uproxx, 2017)
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival coverage (IndieWire, 2017)
“Bleed For This” (Slate/Vulture, 2016)
“Nuts!” Director Penny Lane Interview (National Geographic, 2016)
Truly Inconvenient Truths: “The Island President” (Oscilloscope Musings, 2016)
Oscar-Winning Documentaries Available for Streaming (The New York Times, 2016)
‘Goodbye to Language’ doesn’t mean goodbye to comprehension (The Dissolve, 2015)
The French Comedy Too Controversial For America (The Forward, 2015)
Ctrl + Alt + Doc: A Year After Hitting Reset, AFI Docs Is Still In Transition (Washington City Paper, 2014)
Film Fest Ghent: Party Time in Hell (Photogenie, 2014)
"Frances Ha" and the Dangers of Post-Woody Allen-ism (Tablet, 2013)
“Red Hook Summer” (The Atlantic, 2012)
Audio
Discussing the burning of Notre Dame (Morning Edition, 2019)
Interview: Venice Film Festival (Here & Now, 2018)
"The King": What Elvis Reveals About America (Here & Now, 2018)
“The 15:17 to Paris” and other films that cast real-life veterans (Here & Now, 2018)
Assessing the likely Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nominees (Here & Now, 2017)
Current’s “The Pub” podcast: 100th episode: written, produced and hosted by me (Current, 2017)
Interviewed on “The Frame” for a story about the Writer’s Guild of America negotiations (KPCC, 2017)
Radio scripts for “Yale Climate Connections” (2016-2017)
TV Criticism
"My Brilliant Friend" (The Economist, 2018)
“Wormwood” (Vulture, 2017)
“Sherlock” (Vulture, 2015-2017)
“The OA” (Vulture, 2016)
“Baskets” (Vulture, 2016)
“Marseille” (Vulture, 2015)
Theater Criticism
“Die Hard: The Musical” (Chicago Reader, 2015)
“Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War” (Washington City Paper, 2015)
“The Tempest” (Washington City Paper, 2014)
Book Criticism
I am a regular appointed book critic for Michigan Alumnus magazine, where I review fiction and nonfiction offers by University of Michigan alums for the seasonal print publication.
“The Mothers” (Michigan Alumnus, 2016)
“Owen Gleiberman: Movie Freak” (Michigan Alumnus, 2016)
“Three and Out: Michigan and Rich Rodriguez in the Crucible of College Football” (NPR, 2012)
Feature Reporting
How Notre Dame, "Vast Symphony in Stone," Weaves Its Way Through Parisian History (NPR, 2019)
KCRW Berlin, One Year In (Current, 2018)
Insta-Lizzie (Michigan Alumnus, 2018)
Steve Bannon’s strange forays into public television (Current, 2017)
Amir Came Home (Michigan Alumnus, 2017)
No Label, No Problem (Michigan Alumnus, 2017)
Reporting from the Third Coast International Audio Festival (Current, 2016)
Traveling through the Minnesota State Fair with Chris Thile and “A Prairie Home Companion” (Current, 2016)
Lasers in Abraham Lincoln’s Petworth cottage (DCist, 2014)
A Tiny House Divided (Washington City Paper, 2014)
After Deepwater (Government Executive, 2012)
Other Writing
Published in “Speculative Fiction 2014: The Best of Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary” (Book Smugglers Publishing, 2015).
Published in “In the Name of Editorial Freedom: 125 Years of the Michigan Daily” (University of Michigan Press, 2015)
My essay for the book, “Cut to Michigan,” discusses the rise and fall of the state of Michigan’s tax incentives for filmmakers. It can only be read in print.
Opinion: “Let’s Clean Our Plates” (Washington Post, 2014)
