The writers behind the essays — where they were then, and what they’re up to now. Years mark when each piece first ran on JewsRock.org (2005–2006).
Ari Abramowitz — “Naked City” (2006)
Ari Abramowitz is a music writer and the author of The Pockit Rockit Music Finder.
Spencer Ackerman — “Don't Fear the Rockdots” (2005)
Spencer Ackerman is a Pulitzer Prize–winning national-security journalist, author of Reign of Terror, and writes the Forever Wars newsletter.
Steve Almond — “Heavy Shtetl” (2005)
Steve Almond is a bestselling author and writing teacher; his recent books include Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow.
Al Aronowitz, z”l — “A Night in the Life” (2005)
Al Aronowitz (z”l) was a pioneering rock journalist — the man who introduced Bob Dylan to the Beatles. He died in 2005.
Eli Attie — “A One for the Money, a Two for the Money” · “Raising Hell” (2005)
Eli Attie is a television writer and producer (The Diplomat, Zero Day) whose credits also include The West Wing, House, and Billions.
Kara Baskin — “Unfortunate Son” (2005)
Kara Baskin is a journalist for The Boston Globe and Boston magazine and the author of Generation Yes.
Craig Bromberg — “The Situationist” (2005)
Craig Bromberg is an author and content strategist; he wrote The Wicked Ways of Malcolm McLaren.
Ethan Brown — “The Godfather of Everything That Moves” (2006)
Ethan Brown is an investigative journalist and author (Murder in the Bayou) and a senior editor at Deep South Today.
Mark Caro — “Talmud” (2005)
Mark Caro is an author and host of the Caropop podcast, and a former Chicago Tribune reporter. This essay originally ran under the joke byline “Ben Fong-Torahs.”
Bob Cook — “Super Session Man” · “The Spirit of Rand” (2005–06)
Bob Cook is a sports and culture writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, NBC News, and the Chicago Reader.
Sean Daly — “Have Yourself a Jewish Little Christmas” (2006)
Sean Daly is a broadcast journalist at ABC Action News in Tampa and a former pop-music critic for the Tampa Bay Times.
Rabbi Justin David — “Any Major Dude” (2005)
Rabbi Justin David is a dean at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, and formerly led Congregation B’nai Israel in Northampton.
Eddie Dean — “Nudie and the Technicolor Jacket” (2005)
Eddie Dean is a Washington, D.C.–based journalist and music historian.
Paul Farhi — “That Land Is Your Land” (2005)
Paul Farhi is a journalist and retired media reporter for The Washington Post.
Marc Fisher — “Rock, Radio, Riot” (2005)
Marc Fisher is a veteran journalist and author who spent four decades at The Washington Post.
Franklin Foer — “The Real Names of Jewish Rockers” (2005)
Franklin Foer is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Last Politician.
Jeff Garlin — “Jeff Garlin on the Partridges” (2005)
Jeff Garlin is a comedian, actor, and stand-up known for Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs.
Jeffrey Goldberg — “Subterranean Homeland Blues” (2005)
Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic and a co-founder of JewsRock.org.
Izzy Grinspan — “Stage Names of Jewish Rockers” (2005)
Izzy Grinspan is a digital editor at Harper’s Bazaar and previously edited at The Cut.
Wil Haygood — “Funny, He Didn't Look Jewish” (2005)
Wil Haygood is an author and Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Miami University; his books include The Butler and Colorization.
Anya Kamenetz — “Rocking the Catskills” (2006)
Anya Kamenetz is an author and journalist, a former NPR education correspondent, and a senior advisor at the Aspen Institute.
Jonathan Karp — “The Holy Trinity of Brooklyn Rock” (2005)
Jonathan Karp is the publisher of the Simon Six imprint and the former president and CEO of Simon & Schuster.
John Kelly — “His Sharona” (2005)
John Kelly is a retired Metro columnist for The Washington Post, where he wrote “John Kelly’s Washington.”
Dave McKenna — “Riffed Off” (2005)
Dave McKenna is a staff writer at Defector, and previously wrote for Deadspin and Washington City Paper.
Seth Rogovoy — “Talkin' Hava Nagilah Blues” (2005)
Seth Rogovoy is an author and cultural critic who publishes The Rogovoy Report and writes for The Forward.
David Segal — “And the Dreidel Will Rock” · “The Ballad of Curly Oxide” (2005)
David Segal is a reporter for The New York Times and a co-founder of JewsRock.org.
Doree Shafrir — “The Yeshiva of Indie Rock” (2005)
Doree Shafrir is an author and host of the Forever35 podcast; she was previously a senior editor at BuzzFeed News.
Emily Yoffe — “Who's Your Mama?” (2005)
Emily Yoffe is a senior editor at The Free Press and the former “Dear Prudence” columnist at Slate.
“z”l” (zichrono livracha, “of blessed memory”) follows the name of a contributor who has passed away.