About Zeek

Zeek’s Mission

Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Thought and Culture is the world’s oldest Jewish online magazine, founded in 2001. Today, Zeek’s mission is to be a catalyst for conversations about the Jewish tomorrow in our journal and in-person events. We believe that Judaism is undergoing a paradigm shift that we must not ignore if we want Judaism to be a vibrant religion and culture, and that multiple voices are part of that shift. And we believe there is an audience and a need for intelligent, progressive Jewish writing and art that cannot be found anywhere else.

Zeek measures its success by influence rather than numeric reach. We are not a mass-market website. We are proud to have 8000 unique readers a month, but success for Zeek is opening minds and hearts to change in the Jewish world, introducing new ideas and new ways of being Jewish, incubating new writers and artists, and aiding you, our readers, to find the Jewish identity that will work for you. In these measures, Zeek already has succeeded. We have won awards for our content, including the prestigious Rockowers. We have published over 40 Israeli writers in translation for the very first time, introducing their work to the English-speaking world. Our print issues on the food movement (2006) the minyan movement (2007), the social justice movement (2008), Russian Jewish writers (2008), and the healing movement (2010) were ahead of their time, changing the shape of discourse among thought leaders in those worlds.

Zeek is an independent magazine. Because we are independent, Zeek is able–and unafraid–to face the most challenging problems in the Jewish world head on. However, that also means that we are not sponsored by a large foundation or a single donor. We rely on support from you, our readers and donors. See below for how to donate online.

Thank you for being a part of our community!

Zeek’s Staff

Editor-in-Chief:: Jay Michaelson
Art Director:: Bara Sapir
Fiction Editor:: Joan Gelfand
Contributing Editors and Writers:: Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, Rachel Barenblat, Rivka Fogel, Ezra Glinter, Richard Chess, Jay Michaelson, Rabbi Jill Hammer, Angela Himsel, Haviva Ner-David, Andrew Ramer
Webmaster:: Simon Abramson
Advertising Director:: David Kelsey
Zeek Media Board:: Ellen Bob, Stephanie Galinson, Steven M. Cohen, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, Jay Michaelson

Support Zeek

Zeek accepts tax-deductible donations via the Foundation for Jewish Culture. Click here to donate to FJC Online Be sure to choose “Fiscally Sponsored Project” as your Program Designation, and then write Zeek in the dedication line.

Internship Opportunities

We are always looking for interns and volunteers. We need editorial interns to review unsolicited manuscripts, handle writers’ paperwork, and write reviews; we need art interns to find great artists, handle their paperwork and update the artist database. Contact us!

Advertise in Zeek

Zeek is able to offer leaderboard and box ads online, plus full-page ads in our print issue, all at a very reasonable price. Contact our ad rep, David Kelsey

Submissions

Send submissions to zeek@zeek.net. First, please read our articles online, so you understand the style and content of our magazine. We will not respond to submissions that obviously have no place in Zeek, such as sentimental musings or the latest screed about anti-Israel this or that. Since we are a volunteer-led operation, it may take 4-6 weeks for us to respond. Thanks for your patience!

Fiction Writers contact Joan Gelfand. Submissions should include 1 short story of no more than 5000 words in a single .doc file or in the body of an email, and should include a short biographical note. Individuals are encouraged to submit no more than once a year. We are amenable to simultaneous submissions; however, please notify us immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.

Artists, contact Bara Sapir