Employment Opportunities
The Center is currently seeking to fill the following positions:
Manager of Individual Giving for Development Department
The Center for Jewish History seeks a Manager of Individual Giving for its Development Department. This person will be responsible for cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors of up to $25,000. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to, creating membership programs, advancing direct mail initiatives, conducting prospect research, and planning special events, including large-scale fundraisers.
The ideal candidate will come from a university, library or museum environment with four to five years of direct fundraising experience, as well as an advanced degree. The Center is seeking a highly-motivated, organized candidate who has proven experience soliciting gifts from individuals. The applicant should be detail-oriented and driven to carry out a successful fundraising strategy. The successful candidate will be a strong communicator who can take initiative and also be comfortable working as part of a small but expanding development department. This person will report directly to the Director of Institutional Advancement.
Interested parties should send a cover letter and resume to Lisa F. Roth, Director of Institutional Advancement, at lroth@cjh.org.
No phone calls, please.
Part-time Processing Archivist, Yiddish language skills
The Center for Jewish History, a research center open to the public, seeks graduate students to work as part-time processing archivists. Processing archivists will process Yiddish-language archival collections and encode collection descriptions into EAD.
The archivists will arrange and describe collections in accordance with current professional standards. The descriptive work will often consist of transliteration and translation of Yiddish descriptions into English. The archivists will author and then encode finding aids using an XML editor.
The archivists will work under the supervision of a CJH Senior Project Archivist and report to the CJH Director of Archive and Library Services.
Reading knowledge of Yiddish is required. Strong preference will be given to candidates currently working towards a master's degree in library science or history with archival coursework. Familiarity with archival arrangement and description standards (DACS, EAD), knowledge of 20th century Jewish history and excellent writing skills are highly desirable. Must be able to work efficiently, independently and collaboratively.
Review of applications will begin immediately. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Send cover letter, résumé and references to Rachel Miller, Senior Project Archivist, at rcmiller@cjh.org.
No phone calls, please.
- Volunteering
- Requirements
- Benefits
- Contact
Volunteer Opportunities
Tour Guides (docents)
A tour consists of a visit to the exhibitions of the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (Yeshiva University Museum has a separate docent program) and the public areas of the Center (usually the auditorium, Great Hall, Reading Room, Genealogy Institute). Guides who lead these tours are knowledgeable about the facilities and the mission and scope of activities of the Center for Jewish History, and they are able to describe the exhibitions in the Partner's exhibition cases. Tour guides give approximately one 2-hour tour each week, and attend frequent training sessions.
Reading Room Assistants
Reading Room assistants sit at a desk inside the Reading Room/Genealogy area. They greet and orient patrons and issue locker keys in exchange for photo I.D. Each volunteer is responsible for one 4-hour shift per week.
Ushers
Ushers work at special events held at the Center. They take tickets and give out programs and may perform other tasks, as needed. The usher is welcome to stay and view the performance. Most events requiring ushers are held weekday evenings or on Sundays. Each usher is responsible for being available 45 minutes before the event to several minutes after the event begins.
Office/Library Assistants
Office assistants work in various offices throughout the Center. Tasks may include coordinating mailings, addressing and stuffing envelopes, writing, filing, answering phones and making phone calls, handling RSVPs to events, data entry and related office tasks. Some offices are seeking researchers and assistants for special projects. Librarians may need volunteers to catalog books and related tasks. Required hours are worked out with the individual departments.
Requirements For Volunteers
- Time commitment level: either on a project/event basis, or consistently, with at least one shift per week, ideally same day each week.
- Attire: professional/casual, unless otherwise specified.
- Communication skills: must have excellent speaking skills; knowledge of foreign languages a plus, though not required.
- An interest in Judaism, education, culture, the arts and history.
Orientation And Training
- The Center will provide training and orientation sessions for all volunteers.
Benefits For Volunteers
- Complimentary tickets to concerts, films and other events when available.
- Discount at Gottesfeld Heller Book Store
- Use of volunteer lounge
- Contact with a broad spectrum of individuals and groups
Contact
If you are interested in volunteering at the Center, please contact:
Julie Kaplan
Volunteer Coordinator
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (917) 606-8226
Email: cjhvolunteer@cjh.org