The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. (JDC) is proud to announce that Joy Sisisky has been awarded the 2007-08 Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship in International Jewish Communal Service. This highly-coveted fellowship enables one person each year to live and work in overseas locations in which the JDC is actively engaged. Sisisky will begin her fellowship at JDC’s New York City headquarters with an orientation in September and will be sent overseas where she will work alongside JDC field professionals, assisting in the organization’s community development efforts.

“[The fellowship] is something I’ve wanted to do since the moment I heard about it,” said Sisisky. “I’ve spent my whole life investing in the Jewish community and it’s something I really care about.”

Established in 1987 and named after JDC’s honorary Executive Vice President, who served as the organization’s top professional leader and who was also instrumental in the establishment of the State of Israel, the Goldman Fellowship is awarded to those who demonstrate excellence and commitment to Jewish communal service either in a professional or lay capacity.

“We selected Joy because we believe she embodies the unique qualities for which we strive at JDC” said Billie Gold, the chairperson of the JDC’s Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship committee. “She has earned this fellowship and we’re excited to welcome her to the JDC family.”

Goldman fellows participate in JDC’s global programs through a range of unique assignments that respond to the changing needs of Jewish communities around the world. Fellows must have earned at least a Master’s Degree or an equivalent credential and demonstrate superior leadership qualities.

While Sisisky has spent most of her professional life in domestic work, her significant time abroad has opened her eyes to the needs of the international Jewish Community.

“I look forward to doing something professionally that also satisfies me personally. It’s a once-in a lifetime opportunity,” she said.

About Joy Sisisky:

Currently the Associate Director for National Women’s Philanthropy (NWP) at United Jewish Communities (UJC), Ms. Sisisky develops the organization as a resource for local Federations in the development and implementation of gender-based fundraising and grant making and helps develop advocacy opportunities for NWP leadership; she has also assumed the portfolio of Lion of Judah Endowment (LOJE).

Prior to her work at UJC, Ms. Sisisky served as the Director of Development and Programs at the Israel Policy Forum in New York City, as well as the Arizona Director and later the Assistant Regional Director of AIPAC’s Southern Pacific region. She was a fellow in the Muehlstein Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership, a joint program sponsored by UJA-Federation of New York and the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.

Ms. Sisisky graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a B.A. and double-major in Near East and Judaic Studies and Politics, and earned a double masters degree in Jewish Communal Service and Public Administration at the joint program of Hebrew Union College and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and currently, she lives in Manhattan’s East Village with her husband, Jonathan Salky.

To apply for the 2008-09 Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship, applicants must submit a letter of advocacy to [email protected]. no later than December 15, 2007. The letter should include details of educational and work experience, plans for the future, reasons for interest in this fellowship and examples of leadership qualities. For more information, please visit: www.JDC.org/Ralph