University of Wisconsin-Madison alum Rachel Hale has been awarded a 2024 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellowship, which supports international student journalism on underreported global topics.
Hale, who graduated in 2024 from UW-Madison’s honors program with degrees in journalism and political science, reported on Sephardic Jewry in Spain and the Jewish diaspora.
Her project evaluated the impact of Spain’s 2015 citizenship law, which enabled descendants of those expelled from Spain in the 15th century, known as Bnei Anusim, to obtain Spanish citizenship after providing evidence of their ancestry. She also reported on the converso Jews who were forcibly converted as a result of the Inquisition and on efforts to preserve Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish language spoken by Sephardic Jews.
“Fascinating developments are happening within the Sephardic Jewish community, not just in Spain, but in the wider Jewish diaspora, yet these stories often go untold beyond Jewish circles and media,” Hale said. “I’m extremely grateful to the Pulitzer Center and UW-Madison for the opportunity to produce community-driven reporting on an underrepresented topic.”
Hale left for Spain in September, where she spent a month reporting before convening with the other Pulitzer fellows at Washington Weekend in Washington D.C. in the fall. While in Spain, she visited cultural centers, synagogues, museums, and ancient Jewish quarters throughout cities including Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, Palma, Granada, Malaga, Seville, Barcelona, and Girona.
“This project travels back into one of the darkest periods in Spain’s history. It seeks to highlight Jews who fled Spain and 500 years later sought to return, as well as those who stayed and rediscovered their Jewish identity after years of persecution and forced conversion,” Hale said.
This is the fifth year of the partnership, which provides a UW student with a $5,000 grant and guidance from the Pulitzer Center. Their projects address critical and underreported stories around the world, covering topics including migration, global health, and climate solutions. Past UW-Madison consortium fellows have reported on migration in Tunisia, climate change in Zambia, and refugees in Greece.
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the Pulitzer Center,” said Essie Lenchner, Assistant Director of IRIS NRC. “It provides our students with unparalleled opportunities to engage with global issues through journalism. This fellowship empowers UW students to tell crucial – and often underreported – stories from around the world, and we are incredibly excited to see the impact of Rachel’s work on Sephardic Jewry in Spain help contribute to the ongoing dialogue on cultural identity and history.”
Hale hopes the project will allow her to continue a future reporting career at the intersection of culture, identity, and politics. She spent the summer of 2024 reporting on the presidential election and statewide politics for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and previously covered education and healthcare for Wisconsin Watch. While on campus, she reported for the Daily Cardinal, Moda Magazine, and Curb Magazine, and interned with the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. She got her start in journalism through Jewish news in the U.S. and Jerusalem, including at the Forward, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and the Times of Israel.
“We take great pride in shaping young journalists who understand the value of sharing stories of global importance,” said Kathleen Bartzen Culver, SJMC director and James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics. “Rachel joins a long line of passionate UW SJMC students who have traveled across the world as Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellows, and we are excited to read her reporting from Spain.”
Students interested in the Campus Consortium Fellowship may find more information about the program here.