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OPINION
Why A Journalist Needs
Thick Skin And Lofty Vision
DAy TALKS
6 BILATERAL
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GARY ROSENBLATT
Editor
Editors and
publishers of
Jewish weeklies
often feel like
the Rodney Dan-
gerfields of
American Jew-
ish life.
i
,
When rabbis sermonize on
what needs to be done and
[ the Federation executives
plan it and the philan-
thropists pay for it, the Jew-
ish journalists try to report
it — and are taken to task by
i the others for getting it
wrong or not caring enough
or, worst of all, making
,_--,9 public what the community
leaders believe should re-
', main private — for "the good
of the community."
'''' But for whose good and
which community?
We journalists are used to
getting more criticism than
respect and figure it comes
with the territory. Besides,
( the press has traditionally
served as the whipping boy
1,, of those it seeks to report on.
So imagine our surprise,
we 100 participants in the
annual meeting of the
American Jewish Press
Association, representing
Jewish weeklies from
around the country, when
Dseveral key national Jewish
leaders flew down to Miami
Beach last week to tell us
Ire 2 , how vital we are to the
Jewish enterprise.
But are we only vital when
,
( we do their bidding?
, Martin Kraar, executive
vice president of the Council
of Jewish Federations, was
,_ accurate and blunt in
--' describing the love-hate re-
lationship of Federations
and the Jewish press. "Our
D agendas don't always coin-
cide," he said. "Sometimes
what you write is seen by
L Federation as destructive
--' and hurts their agenda. You
say you're telling readers
the reality and the truth."
As a result, when Federa-
tions become upset with the
Jewish press, they can cut
off access to "information
you should have," Mr. Kraar
said, and everyone loses —
the Federation, the press
L and the community.
He had no simple answer
to the dilemma but insisted
that if newspapers adhere to
three basic principles — "be
fair, be proper and have in-
tegrity" — the relationship
can weather the storms. Be-
-
'-)
r
r
cause, he said, "we need
each other."
Malcolm Hoenlein, ex-
ecutive director of the Con-
ference of Presidents of
Major American Jewish
Organizations, said he ad-
vocates a partnership bet-
ween Jewish groups and the
press, and called on the press
"to reach and educate our
community."
Brian Lurie, the top pro-
fessional at the United Jew-
ish Appeal, now a $1 billion-
a-year operation, described
the Jewish press as absolute-
ly vital in getting the mes-
sage across of Israel's impor-
tance to American Jews. But
he cited a profile of a promi-
nent philanthropist in a
West Coast Jewish news-
paper that angered the man
All this talk about
the partnership
between the
organized Jewish
community and
the press makes
me nervous. In
those instances
when we do
disagree — the
newspaper needs
to make its own
critical decisions.
to the extent that he stopped
contributing to the Jewish
community.
Was it worth it? Rabbi
Lurie wondered, clearly con-
cluding that it was not.
He may be right. It may
very well be that the article
in question was poorly done.
But the fact remains that
when a newspaper starts
worrying too much about the
consequences of its repor-
ting, it begins to pull pun-
ches. And there's no telling
where it will end.
That's why all this talk
about the partnership bet-
ween the organized Jewish
community and the press
makes me nervous. Ninety-
five percent of the time we
may, indeed, agree on how
best to educate and inform
the Jewish community. But
in those instances when we
do disagree — often over a
story that may prove embar-
rassing to the organized
community — the news-
paper needs to make its own
critical decisions, and be
prepared to sink or swim,
depending on how it does its
job. And its job is, ultimate-
ly, to be credible rather than
manageable, to provide in-
formation rather than in-
spiration.
For inspiration, I think
back on the most rewarding
session of our three-day con-
ference, which was on the
mission and responsibility of
the Jewish press, led by
David Elcott of the Center
for Learning and Leadership
(CLAL). Is the Jewish press
an anachronism, he asked
us, now that the battle
against anti-Semitism in
America largely has been
won?
Like many American Jew-
ish institutions, from com-
munity centers to hospitals
to family services, the Jew-
ish press knows how to do its
job but rarely reflects on
what it should be doing that
is uniquely Jewish, Pro-
fessor Elcott suggested.
More precisely, should a
Jewish newspaper be more
than just a public relations
vehicle for the organized
community or, on the other
extreme, a medium for in-
vestigative reporting no
different than the American
general press?
He challenged us to think
about what our Jewish tra-
dition instructs, from con-
cerns about lashon harah,
slander, to preserving a vi-
sion that seeks to question,
to change and to improve.
The ultimate Jewish goal,
after all, is no less than
tikkun olam, to help repair
the world.
Our model, then, should be
the prophets of old, who
withstood ridicule and abuse
to rebuke their brethren,
and the Bible itself, which
portrays even the heroes of
Jewish history as flawed
humans rather than saints.
The message: Don't be
afraid to tell the real story.
That is not to say that we
who toil in the vineyards of
the American Jewish press
see ourselves as a modern-
day Moses as we go about
assigning and writing
stories on the weekly con-
cerns of Jewish life. But we
must believe that our work
is incremental, that every
time we explore an impor-
tant issue or challenge a
sacred cow, we are opening
up the process a bit.
Whether or not the na-
tional Jewish leaders agree,
I submit that that's our job
— as long as we're fair,
proper and have integrity. ❑
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Wealthy Jews Must
Do More For Israel
LARRY GOULD
S
uccessful Jews in bus-
iness are heavily in-
volved in the structure
of federations and their cam-
paigns, and contribute large
amounts. But there has been
no comparable effort to band
together to divert part of their
significant wealth to care-
fully-monitored investment in
Israeli industry for export
(there is a limited market
within the nation to purchase
consumer and other goods
and services on a large scale).
This could create jobs for
the tremendous influx of
trained professionals from
Russia and escalate profitable
export business that will be a
significant shot in the arm to
Israel's economic stability
and enhance security.
The wealthiest families
have collective assets worth
in the low billions. With the
stock market at a high level,
they could consider selling
some of their stock, pay taxes
on the gain, and have a large
block of cash left over to in-
vest in Israeli ventures with
export potential.
It's not my province to
suggest how to structure such
a joint venture or what
to invest in. There are
knowledgeable people in the
export business here and in
Israel to whom they can turn
for advice as to ventures,
coping with or avoiding
Israeli government bureauc-
racy and arranging for staff in
Israel to carefully monitor
investments.
Wealthy philanthropic Jews
with significant investment
portfolios who are no longer
in business or have inherited
large amounts would consider
Lawrence Gould is a
chartered life underwriter in
Beachwood, Ohio.
participating in this effort.
Also, successful business peo-
ple in smaller communities
can participate by joining
such groups in larger Jewish
communities in their or near-
by states.
Yes, such ventures will like-
ly be more speculative for suc-
cessful Jewish businessmen
than investing in their own
businesses, other businesses
in this country and passive
safe investments. But Israel's
need for business-oriented in-
vestment is vital during the
'90s for the reasons mention-
ed previously.
Those who invest must
avoid the mistakes of prior
"starry-eyed" (re: Israel) in-
vestors who were burned (in-
cluding me). They must also
overcome problems detailed
in the recent Israel State
Comptroller's report if
Israel's government is involv-
ed with any venture.
It will be a new and difficult
experience for successful in-
dividualistic American Jews
in business to band together
for investment in Israel as
they have done so well in com-
munal philanthropy and ac-
tive leadership of local
institutions.
But the need for this is
critical now for Israel, with
potential profits and
incentive.
This is an as yet unmet
challenge for wealthy
American Jews. Time will tell
whether they will meet in a
manner similar to how
Israel's people band together
via the IDF to help their na-
tion survive in time of war.
The challenge doesn't in-
volve life or death for those
who will be involved, only
putting part of their wealth
on the line. It's a time for
greatness to give Israel
economic muscle it needs now
like never before. ❑
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
7