50
THE JEWISH NEWS COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
1942-1992
TdEONZVERsy
A critical approach
makes for a
healthier community.
funds. Synagogues, JCCs,
social welfare agencies, and
the central Campaign
routinely maintain com-
petitive, sometimes tense,
relationships. Where are the
reports of those tensions, the
turf battles, and most impor-
tant, the deeper ideological
conflicts over the most urgent
communal priorities?
The reasons for the largely
uncritical approach of Jewish
papers to Jewish organiza-
tions are hard to fathom. One
factor surely is commercial.
Organized Jewry (federations,
schools, synagogues, agen-
cies) is, in effect, one of the
largest advertisers in Jewish
newspapers. Even so-called
reputable national American
news organizations have been
known to pull their punches
so as not to bite the adver-
tisers' hands that feed them.
Another reason for the
wary treatment of our
organized community may lie
with our continuing insecuri-
ty as Jews in America. One
part of the American Jewish
psyche sees us as embattled
and besieged by adversaries,
enemies and worse. The
myths of Jewish unity and
Jewish competence that
might be tarnished by a more
aggressive Jewish press are
seen as powerful weapons in
the arsenal to defend Jewish
interests.
Related to these concerns
32
are fears for the very vitality
of Jewish life. All Jewish
organizations contend with
lack of committed and
talented leadership. And all
would fret over any exposure
of incompetence of controver-
sy that might well dishearten
current or potential activists.
Moreover, the currently dif-
ficult task of recruiting and
retaining top-notch Jewish
professionals might be made
harder still if they were sub-
ject to the spotlight of a
critical, inquiring and ag-
gressive Jewish press.
Last, part of the blame for
the largely uncritical
approach to Jewish
communal life lies
with the journalists
themselves. For bet-
ter or worse, re-
porters and editors of
local Jewish papers
live in and among
the Jewish commu-
nity they cover as
journalists. For the
most part, they
themselves are per-
sonally committed to
Jewish life. As such,
Jewish journalists
are not particularly
eager to become
alienated from their
own community of
family, friends and
neighbors.
Yet as difficult as
they may find it, Jewish jour-
nalists in the coming years
need to become more adver-
sarial and more controversial
in their coverage of the
organized Jewish community.
One reason for doing so is to
hold the community to higher
standards of performance.
Another, is to help make the
community a far more in-
teresting and exciting
venture.
American Jewish life is
much more placid and har-
monious than it was in the
early part of this century,
when Russian-born workers
contended with German-
THE JEWISH NEWS COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
American Reform moneyed
leadership.
Today, we are also far; less
factionalized and passionate
than were our predecessors in
Eastern Europe (or other pre-
American locations), where
left-Zionists fought right-
Zionists, both fought the bun-
dists, and everyone fought the
communists. In fact, one can
argue (I do) that conflict and
contention are prerequisites
of commitment.
The very quality that
makes Metropolitan Detroit
Jewry more cohesive, more
unified, and, in some ways,
teach its readers to take
organized Jewry seriously.
The collection of Jewish
agencies is the functional
equivalent of the Jewish
government and should be
treated as such, at least by
the major Jewish publication
in town. The professional and
lay leaders of these agencies
are the equivalent of public
servants. As such, they are
due the respect — and scruti-
ny — afforded public servants
in our national, state and
local governments.
A federation or synagogue
that is unworthy of genuine
come. My advice is that over
the next 50 years (or at least
the next 50 weeks), The
Jewish News become less
"defensive" and more "offen-
sive" in its coverage of
organized Jewish life.
By becoming more adver-
sarial and controversial, it
will become more interesting
and compelling. In so doing, it
will help make the Jewish
community more intriguing
and attractive — both to the
few who are already drawn to
it, as well as the many who
unfortunately now have little
regard for the workings of
synagogues, federations,
social service agencies, JCCs,
schools, and other organiza-
tions that comprise the
Kehillat Kodesh — the Holy
Community — of Metro-
politan Jewish Detroit. III
more efficient than com-
munities elsewhere also
operates to submerge con-
flicts and to effectively disen-
franchise ideological dissi-
dents. A free and spirited
press can give voice to these
minorities. It might even
serve to bring them into the
community rather than leave
them muttering on the
sidelines.
A press that would treat
Jewish communal life as a
serious subject for investiga-
tion, exposure, and criticism
is a press that would take
Jewish life seriously, and, in
doing so, would implicitly
criticism by the one publica-
tion that specializes in local
Jewish life is an institution
that is also unworthy of gen-
uine devotion and dedication.
A rabbi or volunteer Jewish
communal leader who occa-
sions no controversy in the
Jewish press cannot be taken
seriously as a leader with vi-
sion and something worth
paying attention to.
As The Jewish News
celebrates its 50th anniver-
sary, it behooves us to take
stock of its current character
and how it can best serve the
Metropolitan Detroit Jewish
community in the years to
Newspapers run few
reports on outright
shortcomings in
organizational life.