by Rivka Golding
Community Intern
Louisville’s Jewish Community Summer Internship program is marking its bar mitzvah year, and it has definitely matured since the first interns walked into the offices in 2001. Ads seeking qualified college students in Community were effective, and five young adults are participating in this year’s program.
Administered by Jewish Family & Career Services’ Ellen Shapira, the internship program offers Louisville’s Jewish students career experience, networking opportunities and the chance to give back to the community. Participants are employed at the Jewish Community of Louisville or the JFCS, and the internships cater to each student’s college major and career goals. This summer there are three interns at the Jewish Community of Louisville, and two interns at Jewish Family & Career Services.
JFCS also has an intern through Yale University’s Bulldogs in the Bluegrass program; and CenterStage has an intern.
Jeremy Kaplan
Jeremy Kaplan is a senior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. He is always up for a challenge, and is double majoring in chemistry and business administration. After graduation he would like to continue his education, and earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Kaplan is interning for the JFCS Center for Enterprise Development, as the micro-enterprise program assistant.
The JFCS Center for Enterprise Development provides low-income individuals with the skills they need to start their own businesses. It also provides microloans and financial assistance to businesses that might not be eligible for loans from a bank.
He found out about the internship after flipping through Community, and applied because he wanted to “gain a better understanding of the intricacies of a working business.” As the micro-enterprise program assistant, Kaplan analyzes the potential success of new businesses in various markets. He is also doing demographic research around the Louisville area to see how the JFCS can expand its services.
After being asked to organize applications for the Refugee Savings Program, Kaplan took initiative and created a computer program that automated the process.
He is a member of Muhlenberg’s Chemistry Club, and enjoys playing tennis, and going scuba diving.
He is the son of Joy and Mitchell Kaplan, and a member of The Temple.
Rachel Klein
Rachel Klein is a junior at Indiana University. She is majoring in journalism with a focus in public relations and advertising. She is the Marketing Department intern for Jewish Family and Career Services.
Klein was involved with BBYO in high school, and this summer she wanted to be able to give back to Louisville’s Jewish community. She heard about the internship from her brother, Michael, who participated in the program in 2011. She is determined to leave behind her own mark, and it seems that she is doing just that.
So far, Klein’s main task has been collecting donations and auction items for the Republic Bank Player’s Challenge. She is also writing blogposts, and compiling the JFCS newsletter. Klein appreciates the fact that she is “not just making copies,” but rather she is gaining “applicable, hands-on career experience.”
A member of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority, Klein likes to spend time with her friends.
She is the daughter of Mindy and Jeff Klein, and a member of Congregation Adath Jeshurun.
Alyssa Lurie
Alyssa Lurie is a junior at Kent State University in Ohio. She is majoring in community health education, and would ultimately like to work with children in a hospital setting. The Jewish Community of Louisville’s internship program offers a wide range of opportunities, and Lurie is applying her skills as the Jewish Community Center’s Senior Adult Department wellness intern, where she helps educate seniors about nutrition.
The JCC Healthy Senior Adults Program teaches seniors about nutrition and exercise, and offers them a variety of programs to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Lurie enjoys coming into work every day, and being able to talk to the seniors on a one-on-one level.
Lurie was a counselor at the JCC’s Summer Camp throughout high school, and wanted a different experience this summer. She enjoys interacting with all different age groups, and likes hearing the seniors’ life stories. She also hopes that her work will make a true impact and enable the seniors to live healthier lives.
Throughout the year, Lurie interned at her school’s Hillel, helping freshmen transition into college. She also volunteered at a soup kitchen on Kent State’s campus, and at a nearby animal shelter.
She is the daughter of Vicki and Ron Lurie, and is a member of The Temple.
Jacob Ward
Jacob Ward is a junior at the University of Kentucky, studying accounting and finance. Officially the Accounting and Human Resources Department intern at the Jewish Community of Louisville, he really enjoys the position because it exposes him to many different aspects of business. Not only is he gaining valuable accounting experience, but he is also working on various IT projects.
Originally, he applied for the internship because it was linked to his field of study, but he remarks that it has also improved his connections within the Louisville Jewish community. Ward plans to move back to Louisville after he graduates, and looks forward to maintaining these ties. While he has to complete two more years of school, he sees himself becoming an active member of Louisville’s Jewish community in the future.
In school he is a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, and is a supervisor for the intermural sports department. He enjoys playing soccer, and is a high school soccer referee for the Central Kentucky area.
He is the son of Tony and Lisa Ward, and a member of Temple Shalom.
Evan Green
While the other interns are all native Louisvillians, Evan Green came all the way from Boston to intern at the JFCS. He is a sophomore economics and mathematics student at Yale University, and is taking part in Yale’s Bulldogs in the Bluegrass program. Sponsored by Kentucky Yale alumni, the program encourages current Yale students to seek employment in the Greater Louisville area.
Students apply directly for the internships of their choice, and the Bulldogs in the Bluegrass program provides housing, social events and the opportunity to engage with leaders in the Louisville community.
To date, Bulldogs in the Bluegrass has brought over 360 Yale students to Louisville. According to their website, 40 Yale graduates have moved to Louisville after their internship experiences here.
Along with Kaplan, Green is a micro-enterprise program assistant at the JFCS Center for Enterprise Development. He applied for the internship at the JFCS because he wanted exposure to the non-profit world. There are so many different paths to go down after graduation, and he wanted to compare non-profit to for-profit businesses.
For Green, the most interesting part of the job is interacting with the refugees that come to the JFCS for help. He elaborates that, “their diverse cultures and distinct perspectives on the world make you empathize with their struggles.”
Not only is Green enjoying the internship, but he is also taking advantage of all the city has to offer. Growing up in the North East, he was shocked at how much there is to do around Louisville. He has already been to a University of Louisville baseball game, Waterfront Park, and particularly enjoyed a kayaking trip to Elk Horn Creek.
Not surprisingly, Green notes that, “everyone seems very friendly and genuine in Louisville.”
He is the son of Jenny Altshuler and Barry Green of Boston, MA.
Joe Kohake
Joe Kohake is a junior at the University of Louisville, studying music. Kohake is pursuing a career in arts administration, and is double minoring in business and communications. Wanting to gain experience with an arts organization this summer, Kohake emailed CenterStage asking if they were looking for an intern.
As CenterStage prepares to celebrate its 100th Anniversary, Kohake has been instrumental in planning the main anniversary event, and in researching the history of CenterStage. He enjoys looking through the Centerstage and Community newspaper archives, and is always entertained by the pictures and stories he comes across.
In addition to helping with the 100th Anniversary celebration, Kohake is working with ticketing, and on other CenterStage events including Teen Awakening this August.
While this is Kohake’s first internship in the arts world, he has been involved in the arts since he was a child. He
attended the Governor’s School for the Arts, and has been playing the piano for the past 14 years. He also plays the tuba, and enjoys acting. As part of the university’s music program, Kohake performs in the University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra.
Joe is the son of Kathy and Paul Kohake of Florence, KY.
Rivka Golding
Now, a little bit about me. I am a sophomore at the University of Maryland, majoring in Jewish Studies. This summer, I am the communications and marketing intern at the JCC. I am interested in pursuing a career in public relations in the Jewish non-profit world, and this position is the perfect stepping stone towards achieving my goal.
I really enjoy interning for the JCC’s marketing department, because it allows me to be creative. As the marketing intern, I am mainly writing articles for Community (like this one!), editing posts on the JCL ’s new website, and helping create and implement a social media plan for the JCL Facebook pages. I am also working on the JCC’s weekly newsletter, and helping Shiela Steinman Wallace, the JCC’s communications director, organize the Jewish Louisville History Project.
I grew up right around the corner from the JCC, and it has always been a big part of my day to day life. As a child, I loved playing hide ’n’ seek in the climbing room even though I always left with a carpet burn. I remember waiting in line to play Sonic the Hedgehog in the kids lounge, and how mature I felt when I was finally old enough to enter the teen lounge. It is in the JCC pool that I first learned how to blow bubbles under water. I took dance lessons at the JCC, and attended JCC Summer Camp. My father plays basketball in the gym almost every day, and my mother is an active member on the Jewish Community Relations Council board.
The best part about interning at the JCC is that I finally get to be behind the scenes, and see all the hard work that goes into creating these memories, and into making the JCC the heart of the Louisville Jewish community.
I am actively involved in the University of Maryland’s Hillel, and attend daily services, and classes on the weekly Torah portion. I serve as the PR manager for my school’s Tamid Israel Investment chapter. Tamid is an organization that educates college students about the Israeli economy and connects them with Israeli businesses.
In between high school and college, I took a gap year in Israel. I studied at Midreshet Harova, a learning program for girls, and spent my time learning Talmud, Torah, Jewish philosophy and touring the country.
My parents are Rabbi Joshua and Ayala Golding, and I am a member of Congregation Anshei Sfard.
