Fox Leadership Program Fellow Jane Eisner Named Editor-in-Chief of the Forward
July 2008
Jane Eisner, Senior Fellow at the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program, has been named editor-in-chief of the Forward, the Jewish newsweekly. She is the first woman to hold this position at the paper, which has been published in Yiddish for more than a century and in English since 1990.
Eisner worked for nearly 25 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer where she was a City Hall bureau chief, foreign correspondent and editorial page editor. She also wrote a syndicated column called “American Rhythms,” which focused on domestic social issues. Eisner has served as the vice president for National Programs and Initiatives at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and she is an adjunct professor in Penn’s Political Science Department.
In 2004, Eisner published a book titled Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in Our Democracy. She has also contributed articles to the Washington Post, Newsday and the Columbia Journalism Review, as well as a number of Jewish publications including The Reconstructionist, Ma’ayan and the Forward.
In announcing her nomination, Forward Publisher Samuel Norich said, “After an exhaustive search, we determined that Jane Eisner offers an ideal combination of journalistic experience, civic vision and high regard for the Forward’s historic role. She has great ideas, insights and ambition for the Forward’s future, and we’re extremely excited to have her on board.”
“I’m honored to be part of a newspaper with such a grand journalistic and literary tradition,” Eisner said. “Building on that tradition and with the help of such a talented and devoted staff, I believe that the Forward will continue to be the most influential voice in the American Jewish community and a force for social justice throughout the world.”
An active community member, Eisner serves as trustee and secretary of The Philadelphia Award, serves on the board of directors of the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy and on the advisory committee of the National Conference on Citizenship. She is also on the regional council of the New Israel Fund and a member of the Columbia School of Journalism Alumni Task Force.
Eisner graduated with honors from Wesleyan University in 1977 and earned a master's degree from the Columbia School of Journalism in 1978.
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