Allison Josephs
Allison Josephs has been involved in the field of Jewish outreach for over a dozen years as a teacher and lecturer. She has worked at Partners in Torah, Sinai Retreats and NCSY and is the spiritual mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. Allison was named one of NJOP's Top Ten Jewish Influencers in 2012 and has been quoted or written about in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post and Yahoo News. Allison has been interviewed on television and radio, including programs such as What Not To Wear, Associate Press TV, and National Public Radio. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the newly released anthology, “Like Water on a Rock,” The Washington Times, The Jewish Press and the Forward. She has also directed and produced videos for Aish.com and lectures around the country and on WebYeshiva. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in philosophy and lives with her husband and four children minutes from the George Washington Bridge.
Many people have negative perceptions of Orthodox Jews and Judaism. To them, Orthodoxy is: backwards, repressed, outdated, sexist, anti-science. Scandals that reinforce these misconceptions hit the media all too often. Popular movies, books and TV shows repeat negative stereotypes about religious Jews and their lifestyles. This is the battle that Jew in the City (JITC) has been fighting since 2007. Through YouTube videos, blogs and other social media platforms, JITC (through its founder, Allison Josephs and a group of volunteers) publicizes the message that Orthodox Jews can be funny, approachable, educated, pro-women and open-minded and that Orthodox Judaism links the Jewish people to a deep and beautiful heritage that is just as relevant today as it ever was. Jew in the City has reached hundreds of thousands of people since its inception from across the spectrum, including Muslims, Christians and atheists. The feedback received is that JITC's content inspires, educates and helps them better understand a group that they’d never truly understood before. The key to JITC’s success is in its ability to introduce a relatable Orthodox Jew to the world through the power of new media.