About Posting on WUPJ.org
The World Union’s website, including its library, news articles, oped pieces, and other written content, strives to be an online resource for Progressive, Liberal and Reform Jews, providing news from our global movement, Jewish thought and insight, and leadership pieces that advance individual and congregational Reform Jewish life.
While our site will host much of this dynamic content, select articles will be distributed through our newsletters, targeting different audiences (including program alumni, rabbis and rabbinic students, lay leaders, educators and more). To receive the World Union’s newsletter, please click through to complete the online subscription form.
The World Union for Progressive Judaism is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of anything posted, other than posts signed by members of the WUPJ staff in their official, professional capacities.
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Submission Guidelines
The World Union accepts unsolicited submissions for consideration in any of the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, German, French and Hebrew. Submissions not in English must include a translation into English. Please note, submissions in languages other than English may take longer to process and edit.
Pieces that follow the formatting and style guidelines listed below are most likely to be published on the site, so please take time to read through them.
All submissions will be subject to editing, modification and approval before being posted on the site.
Submissions, along with biographical information, including any affiliation with a World Union congregation or institution, and related photos (as JPEG or TIFF files) should be sent by email to marketing@wupj.org.il.
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Audience
Readers of the World Union website are a diverse mix of individuals from all over the world who are familiar with, affiliated with, or identify with Progressive, Liberal, Reform or Conservative Judaism to varying degrees. Our primary audience are leaders, of all ages, professional and volunteer, congregational and communal, rabbinic and spiritual. They come from many different backgrounds and have taken varying paths to Judaism, as do many of our other wider audience members.
Since our audience is truly global, please keep in mind that cultural sensitivities and religious practices are as wide-ranging as the languages spoken across our 1,200 member congregations in 50 countries.
The World Union welcomes a variety of viewpoints on Jewish life and living, Progressive Judaism and religious interpretation, but we request that writers are cognizant and respectful of the fact that many of our readers will have differing viewpoints based on their own experiences and worldviews.
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Length
Submissions exceeding 800 words will not be considered for publication.
Articles are optimally 400-800 words in length.
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Post Style
Several types of articles are acceptable for publication on our site:
- First-person perspectives or personal essays on congregational events
- Essays on issues facing Progressive Jewry in a particular part of the world
- Reflections on the meaning of holidays, blessings, prayers, poems, etc.
- Torah commentary for our Torah from Around the World segment, and other
- Jewish interpretations on global issues
- Essays on Jewish contemporary thought leaders, book reviews
- Sermons or speeches
- Commentary on articles, videos, or podcasts of interest to our movement
- Remembrances, whether personal memoirs or memorial tributes to those who have recently passed, or of long-gone figures of interest
Please note that some submissions may also be shared directly on the World Union’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) where readers will be invited to share their thoughts on the issue or article.
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Format
Do not use underlines or all caps for any reason.
Please use links and in-text referencing, rather than footnoting.
Avoid use of the words “click here” or “here” when linking to a referenced item. Instead, link to a relevant part of the sentence.
Wherever possible, link to cited sources and any material that is referenced, especially material that exists on other Progressive, Liberal or Reform movement websites (congregational or organizational).
Italicize transliterated Hebrew or other languages, and include a translation of such words and phrases upon first mention.
Indent paragraphs of quoted material.
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Editing
All submissions to the World Union website will be edited for grammar, punctuation and style. Additional considerations may also apply – sensitivities by a particular region, timeliness of the submission, Jewish holiday calendar, current events, etc.
Occasionally, our editorial team may return a submission to its author to suggest changes, omissions, and/or additions that our editing team deems necessary to strengthen the post such that it may become appropriate for publishing on our site. However, please note that as a general rule, submissions will not be sent back to authors for final approval before publication.
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Title and Author Bio
All submissions must include a suggested title, subject to modification. A compelling title that is descriptive of the content of the post will garner more readers.
Additionally, all submissions should be signed using the author’s real name. Please provide a biography of one- or two-lines with the author’s title, position, and congregational affiliation where applicable.
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Images
Reproducing copyrighted material is not permitted. Photos may only be used if you have rights to use them or have received written permission from the copyright owner. Photos on Flickr that use the Creative Commons licensing agreement may be used with a credit, as per the Creative Commons rules. In submitting photographs, please provide the credit/ caption required for the photos. Should stock image photos be supplied, please provide proof of acquisition and approval for reuse. Please do not supply photographs that were downloaded from the internet. The World Union reserves the right to not use photos submitted with articles for the website. Similarly, our editors may add appropriate photos or other graphics at their discretion.
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Video
Videos that have been posted on YouTube or Vimeo may be embedded in a blog post without permission from the original poster.
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Terms and Conditions
Posts must comply with the World Union’s Site Terms and Conditions, which generally state that any material that is defamatory or violates the rights or privacy of others in any way is not permitted, and that our editors have the right to remove material that is deemed as such.
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Advertising
Posts should not read as advertisements, brochures, or marketing pieces for any event, program or offering, as such posts will discredit the integrity of the blog as a place for discussion of Progressive Jewish issues. Instead, if you are seeking to promote an event, program or other offering, choose a topic that is related to it, expound upon it, and mention/link to the product you are promoting at the end of the piece.
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Promotion
World Union site editors reserve the right to approve submissions for publication and furthermore, which articles will be promoted in certain more prominent places on the website (homepage, top article section, newsletter, etc). Additionally, the World Union reserves the right to promote selected submissions via its social media channels, including but not limited to:
- Social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+)
- E-newsletters and listservs
- Posting on affiliates websites or blogs
- Encouraging staff, board members, affiliates, and others to read, comment and share posts
Blog authors are encouraged to promote their posts using their personal social networks,and to share their posts with their congregations for further promotion.