Repackaging a History Ph.D.: A View from the Jewish Foundation World

In a world of open boundaries and an accelerated rate of change, few people
stay in a single job, career, or even field for their whole lives.
Thinking creatively about repackaging and repurposing the knowledge and
"soft skills" learned while earning a PhD is vitally important - both for
the PhDs who need jobs and for the professions and institutions that can
benefit tremendously from the skill sets and topical mastery that PhDs
possess.  Finding positions outside of academia necessitates thinking
creatively not just about what a PhD *knows* - and how to make that
knowledge relevant and accessible to a wide variety of audiences - but also
about what s/he *knows how to do*.  Jewish Studies PhDs have a particularly
interesting experience because of the existence of a robust contemporary
Jewish organizational landscape that can benefit from the knowledge
capital, skillsets, and perspective of Jewish Studies PhDs - particularly
Jewish historians.  Felicia Herman, who earned a PhD in Near Eastern and
Judaic Studies from Brandeis University in 2002 with a focus on American
Jewish History, has been working in Jewish foundations since 2000.  She
will reflect on the opportunities and challenges inherent in  integrating
History PhDs into the contemporary Jewish organizational landscape to both
sides, drawing broad lessons that can be useful across a variety of ethnic
communities.