JPS Staff

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  Malka Z. Simkovich

  Director and Editor-in-Chief
  msimkovich@jps.org
  
  

  Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Jewish Publication Society, as well as the author of three books and over a hundred articles. Her first book, The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria, was published in 2016, and her second book, Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism, was published with JPS in 2018 and received the 2019 AJL Judaica Reference Honor Award. Her third book, Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity, was published in June 2024. Her articles have been published in journals such as the Harvard Theological Review and the Journal for the Study of Judaism, and on mainstream forums such as the Jewish Review of Books and The Christian Century.

  A Leon Charney Fellow at the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies and a Kogod Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Simkovich speaks regularly to audiences across North America and beyond on topics related to the Hebrew Bible, Jewish history, and contemporary Jewish-Christian relations.

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  Joy Weinberg

  Managing Editor
  jweinberg@jps.org
  
  

  Joy negotiates author contracts and other agreements, edits all JPS manuscripts and prepares them for copyediting. She is the liaison with JPS’s partner press on licenses, rights, and related business matters, oversees the JPS archives, and exhibits JPS books at national conferences.

  Joy was managing editor of Reform Judaism, the world’s largest circulated Jewish magazine, for 30 years. She also served various book publishers as a freelance editor, image collector, and photographer. A songwriter, her compositions for Jewish holiday and lifecycle events have premiered at synagogues.

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  Deena Schoenfeld

  Director of Communications and Marketing
  dschoenfeld@jps.org
  
  

  Deena manages JPS communications and marketing strategy, including the JPS website, newsletter, social media, and outreach initiatives. Together with JPS publishing partners, she designs and coordinates national digital and print marketing campaigns reaching diverse audiences, and she provides promotional support, guidance, and resources for JPS authors.

  Prior to joining JPS in 2023, Deena served as a Jewish communal professional, with over 18 years of experience developing a rich tapestry of cultural and educational programs at JCCs, cultivating organizational partnerships, and managing congregational communications and engagement. Deena is also an artist and freelance graphic designer, and in her spare time, she enjoys nature, travel with her family, creative and culinary pursuits, and immersing in a good book.

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  Rachna Khanna

  Accounting Manager
  rkhanna@jps.org
  Rachna manages the daily operations of the JPS office including budgeting, financial reporting and answering general inquiries. She has over 25 years of experience in financial reporting and has worked in financial services, publishing, and the non-profit sector. Rachna has an MBA from New York Institute of Technology. She joined JPS in 2018.
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  Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz

  Director Emeritus
  bschwartz@jps.org
  
  

  Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz is the Director Emeritus of JPS and the spiritual leader of Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia, New Jersey. He served as head of JPS for 13 years from 2010-2023. He is also a prolific writer - the author of ten books for adults, teens and children, a prize-winning short story, and articles that have appeared in the Journal of Reform Judaism, American Jewish History, and the Hebrew Union College Annual.

  Rabbi Schwartz's textbook, Jewish Heroes, Jewish Values (1996) has been used in over 300 religious schools nationwide. Judaism's Great Debates (JPS, 2012) is available in both adult and youth editions. His other works include Path of the Prophets: The Ethics-Driven Life (JPS, 2018) and Adam's Animals (2017), a PJ Library book selection. Most recently he is the author of Open Judaism: A Guide for Believers, Atheists, and Agnostics (JPS, 2023). Rabbi Schwartz's blog exploring Open Judaism can be found here.