Alex Weinberg ePortfolio by Alex Weinberg

My Experience as a Policy Intern at JINSA

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 02:31:34 UTC

Welcome! This ePortfolio will showcase my proudest works during my time as a policy intern at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, or JINSA, during the Fall 2023 semester. Each chosen artifact details a new aspect of my learning and professional understanding of the American-Israeli relationship, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or broader Middle Eastern region.

Happy Scrolling,

Alex Weinberg

Iron Beam Memo

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 02:34:02 UTC

This was the first project I was assigned this semester. I distinctly remember the trial and error it took to get a sense of source gathering, formatting common within the company and relevant topics to include within the diaspora. I consider it one of my strongest works because of the field's growing importance within defense, and it served as an eerie precursor for the war to come

Press Release Notes

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 02:44:59 UTC

This was the first long-term project I was able to contribute to. It offered more consistency within my day-to-day and allowed me to branch out to the communications department of the company rather than just be limited to the policy team. The press releases honed my attention to detail by limiting press appearances of company staff members down to the two or three most essential quotes that reflected company values. It took about two months to find this project, but I am glad I was able to hop around in other areas beforehand.

My Contributions Get Published!

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 02:52:34 UTC

This project was especially time-sensitive. We wanted to investigate how the international community implied Iranian involvement in Hamas' 10-7 attacks. My role was to gather quotes from world leaders and track the changes in positions as the facts became more apparent. This project helped improve my navigation skills of government press releases, especially outside the US. More broadly, it was a very rewarding feeling to see my name credited in the brief and on the website. It was the first public recognition that made me feel like I was making a real impact with JINSA that others outside the company could see.

Objects of the Daily Commute

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 03:36:10 UTC

Part of the experience was developing a routine. Specifically, mastering my commute and handling outside logistics to make sure I showed up on time and looked the part. A 10 AM start time means picking up dry cleaning the evening before, up to rise at 8:30 AM, showering, walking to and being on the metro by 9 AM, listening to NPR during the train ride, and grabbing a quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts by 9:50 AM. It also gave me time to memorize the Green Line map from College Park to L'Enfant Plaza, and from there to McPherson Square where I would then walk to the office. It kept me consistent and grounded throughout.

Press Release: The Final Product

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 03:43:42 UTC

Assembling and organizing the media appearances every week was a strong point of this experience. This was especially true during the flurry of mainstream appearances in the opening weeks of the war. Even six weeks into it, as this press release demonstrates, many outlets understandably had much interest in what the senior fellows had to say.

Iran Foreign Influence Memo

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 03:48:22 UTC

This memo was especially enriching for my understanding of how Iran tries to entrench itself in American academia, media, and government. My research skills spanned various news sources, financial figures, and issue areas. One major conclusion is that more transparency is needed in American involvement if they are to maintain any sort of qualitative military edge in the era of strategic competition. The findings only exacerbated post-10/7.

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 03:51:35 UTC

Organization Email Server

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 03:57:53 UTC

A typical day at JINSA involves correspondence with my boss, Ari, on any necessary research tasks. Also in the inbox, other research products created by staffers are circulated internally before going public. Programming opportunities like webinars and congressional visits are also communicated here.

IDF Casualty Spreadsheet

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 04:01:22 UTC

JINSA recently started to track IDF casualties as the Gaza ground offensive continues. This was an especially hollowing project for me, as it illustrated and personalized the human cost on the Israeli side of an already brutal conflict. It also highlights the death toll during the hostage exchange period versus outside of those parameters.

ePortfolio Cover Letter

aweinbe1 — 2023-12-13 04:11:56 UTC

My letter to anyone interested in my holistic reflections on the experience. As I mention in the document, this is the bottom line up front!