Meet the JPS Interactive Team

JPS was founded in 1888 to provide Jewish immigrants and their children with books about their heritage in the language of the New World. With the Tagged Tanakh, JPS will provide their great-great grandchildren with dynamic content and resources about their heritage in the language of the new digital world.

JPS staff and advisors are building on 120 years of publishing experience to create new ways of distributing meaningful Jewish content. Our management team blends scholarly insight, seasoned professional skills, and innovation to create something that is both groundbreaking and rooted in Jewish tradition.

Dr. Ellen Frankel JPS CEO and Editor-in-Chief
Since 1998 Ellen has worked as the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Jewish Publication Society since 1998. A scholar of Jewish folklore, Ellen has published eight books on Jewish subjects, including The Classic Tales: 4000 Years of Jewish Lore; The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols; The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah; The Jewish Spirit; The Illustrated Hebrew Bible, and the JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible. She has also been a contributor to the 10-volume series, My People’s Prayerbook. Ellen travels widely as a storyteller and lecturer, speaking at synagogues, learning institutes, national organizations, colleges and schools, and to radio audiences.

JT Waldman JPS Director of Interactive Media
JT Waldman oversees the daily operations of the Tagged Tanakh project. His work on the TT garnered him a PresenTense Fellowship and an invitation to attend the ROI2008 summit in Jerusalem. As the creative force behind the Tagged Tanakh, JT brings experience in the arts and Jewish education to his role as project director. In 2005, JPS published Megillat Esther, JT’s critically acclaimed graphic novel adaptation of the Book of Esther. Drawings from this groundbreaking work have been exhibited at the HUC Skirball Museum, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, and The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. In 2006, he enhanced his technical skill set by completing a rigorous course in digital design at the Vancouver Film School. JT’s hands-on experience as a Hebrew schoolteacher and youth adviser blends with his creative background to inform his approach in developing the technology and content of the TT.

Rabbi Shai Gluskin Web Development Consultant
An ordained Reconstructionist rabbi, educator, and community leader, Rabbi Gluskin is a Drupal web developer. Using his expertise in open source technology, Gluskin manages the back-end design and operation of www.jpsinteractive.org. He currently operates his own boutique design shop Content2Zero.

Sarah Simkin JPS Interactive Intern
The newest member of the Tagged Tanakh staff, Sarah is a student at the University of Pittsburgh studying political science and writing. She is a graduate of the Tuttleman/Lasko Internship Program. During the school year, she is a staff writer for The Pitt News and student assistant to the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of General Counsel.