Meet our hard-working, dedicated Jewish Voice staff

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As the editor of The Jewish Voice, I have the opportunity to meet many people.One of my favorite things about my job is meeting community members. The last week has been a busy one, with several events to cover and lots of interviews. I met some new people and got a chance to chat with some old friends of the newspaper.

A lot of you know me by now, at least through this column. But do you know the rest of the people who produce The Jewish Voice here in Rhode Island? We’re a small group with a lot of experience and dedication.

Leah Camara lays out the paper, including designing those eye-catching photo pages and an occasional advertisement or two. She’s been doing this for 25 years. She started working in 1994 for what was then the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, and has worked in several different departments, including the business and professional women’s department and the women’s division. Her knowledge of our community is invaluable, a resource we call upon on a daily basis.

Karen Borger has been our independent advertising representative for five years. An East Side resident, she has a background in marketing communications and a journalism degree from American University. She’s lived in Rhode Island since 1980.

Chris Westerkamp is our newest advertising sales representative. He’s a Midwest native who has lived in Rhode Island for about 10 years. He has a background in the broadcast industry. If you’re a businessperson and haven’t met Chris, please make sure you do. He and Karen want everyone to hear about The Voice and how it can help local businesses reach our readers – who are part of the demographic most businesses want to reach!

For a little more than a year, Cynthia Benjamin has been giving many of our articles an eagle-eyed look as a copy editor. Cynthia has also been a copy editor at The Providence Journal since 1988. As a member of Congregation B’nai Israel in Woonsocket, she brings knowledge of the Jewish community in northern Rhode Island to the table. She’s also a trained chef, so you’ll see occasional food stories with her byline.

Our newest freelancer is Sam Serby, a recent graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a degree in advertising and marketing communications. Sam has spent some time in Israel and worked for the Peres Center for Peace. Sam grew up attending Temple Sinai and lives in East Greenwich. You might see him at an event or get a call from him about an interview. 

We have several other freelance writers, but we are always looking for new writers, photographers, editors, videographers and others who are interested in bringing you stories from our community.

Soon, we’ll begin searching for a summer intern, who will learn about everything that goes into putting out a small community newspaper. Our summer intern also compiles information for the annual Guide to Jewish Living. 

We also get help from colleagues at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. Without their support and input, we certainly would be a much less interesting publication.

And we couldn’t produce this paper without a few volunteers, who wish to remain anonymous. They should give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done, too! I am grateful for their help, as I am for everyone who contributes to getting the news out to you, our readers.

Now, a word about our advertisers, whose support is so vital to this publication. Please support the businesses and people you see in this publication. Their advertising helps us stay in the business of bringing you news about our community and Jewish happenings across the globe

Thanks to all! I look forward to working with you in 2017!