About the Staff

Lisa Hostein, Executive Editor

Lisa Hostein (lhostein@hadassah.org) became the executive editor of Hadassah Magazine in November 2015, making her the first female journalist to lead the publication. Her prior experience includes serving nearly 15 years as editor in chief of JTA, the global Jewish news agency, and eight years as the executive editor of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia. A graduate of Swarthmore College, she has received numerous journalism awards from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Philadelphia Press Association and the American Jewish Press Association, which has honored her with its Award for Distinguished Service to Jewish Journalism.

Zelda Shluker, Managing Editor

Zelda Shluker (zshluker@hadassah.org) joined Hadassah Magazine as an editorial assistant in 1982 and rose to associate editor, senior editor and, in 2001, managing editor. Prior to joining Hadassah Magazine, she was assistant editor of the Bordentown Register-News and worked as a freelance writer for the Trenton Times and staff reporter for the Packet Papers in New Jersey. Shluker screens and reads books for the Harold U. Ribalow Prize for fiction. She is a graduate of Trenton State College where she received a B.A. in English with a minor in Journalism. In addition, Shluker has a postgraduate degree in Jewish Studies from Beth Jacob Teachers Seminary and maintains a Hebrew teachers license.

Celia Weintrob, Advertising Manager

Celia Weintrob (cweintrob@hadassah.org) is a career advertising sales executive who joined Hadassah Magazine in July 2017. She was publisher of The Brooklyn Paper, worked in sales and marketing for NewsCorp’s New York City community newspaper group, was general manager of The Riverdale Press and advertising manager of The Jewish Star. Celia has produced and managed newspapers, magazines, websites, direct mail and other marketing products. She is active with the Great Long Island Challah Bake and the Jewish Women Entrepreneurs.

Leah F. Finkelshteyn, Senior Editor and Co-Web Editor

Leah Finkelshteyn (lfinkelshteyn@hadassah.org) started at Hadassah Magazine in 1997 as a freelance writer and editor. She went on to become associate editor and then senior editor. She has been co-editor of the magazine website since 2009. Finkelshteyn has a background in arts and design as well as Jewish art history. She is a graduate of Stern College for Women.

Libby Barnea, Associate Editor and Co-Web Editor

Libby Barnea (lbarnea@hadassah.org) has been with Hadassah Magazine since 2000, starting as editorial assistant before being named associate editor. She has served as co-editor of the magazine’s website since 2009 and was project editor for the Hadassah Everyday Cookbook. Her specific areas of editorial interest are food and travel. She is a graduate of Barnard College.

Randi O’Connor, Advertising Sales Associate

Randi O’Connor (roconnor@hadassah.org) first came to Hadassah Magazine in 2009 as a freelance writer and editorial consultant and later became an independent ad salesperson. She joined the magazine ad staff full time in 2012. Sherman was a staff writer at The Jewish Week. She has also written for Babaganewz and CeramicsTECHNICAL.

Alan M. Tigay, Editor Emeritus

Tigay served as Hadassah Magazine’s executive editor from 1980 to 2015. Previously, he was editor in chief of the Near East Report and a New York correspondent and editor for the United Feature Syndicate. He compiled and edited The Jewish Traveler, an international guidebook and has written for magazines and newspapers, including American Heritage, Travel Holiday, The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times and Newsday. Tigay served for 30 years as the administrator of the Harold U. Ribalow Prize for fiction. Under his guidance, Hadassah Magazine received more than 350 awards for editorial excellence, including a National Magazine Award nomination. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

The Harold U. Ribalow Prize
Established in 1983 in memory of Harold U. Ribalow, noted writer, editor and anthologist of Anglo-American Jewish fiction, this is an annual fiction award presented for an outstanding English-language work of fiction on a Jewish theme by an author deserving of further recognition. For submission guidelines, please click here.