PUBLISHER'S NOTEBOOK
Walking A Necessary Tightrope
Mission Statement:
e Jewish News aspires to communicate news and infor-
mation to our community that's useful, engaging, enjoy-
able and unique. We strive to reflect the full range of
diverse viewpoints, while also advocating positions
which strengthen Jewish unity and continuity.
We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoy-
able work environment which encourages creativity and innovation.
We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of our
community. Being competitive, we must always strive to be the most
respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation.
Our rewards are informed, dedicated readers, very satisfied adver-
tisers, contented employees and profitable growth.
organization and who passed away in
up to the fact that the Purple Gang
Florida. But for most, it is the remain-
is an unpleasant part of our history
ing thread that links an increasingly-
that shouldn't be sanitized, or chal-
diverse community. Whether a
lenging Federation lead-
divorced mother in an
ership to invest an even
apartment in
greater percentage of
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the annual Allied
Hills or a
Jewish Campaign for
physician
in
local needs, especially
Wabeek,
a
education.
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meet your needs,
carpet for fear of
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Today, Detroit's
could create several
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Jewish News: one for
much of Oakland
singles, anoth-
County with
er for young
pockets in Wayne and
families with
Macomb counties.
children; one
Jews can live virtually
for
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observant,
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another for
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intermarrieds;
of the Detroit
one for those
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who only want
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community has
chosen to create
become the
one Jewish News
embodiment of
that's inclusive and
the American
vibrant, one where
Dream, with all
you
still see yourself
of its inherent social and political
but
also
people who
ramifications.
are different than you. It is our
For some, The Jewish News has
attempt at strengthening Jewish unity
replaced the backyard fence as the
and continuity ... even though we
place to learn about who's getting
have to walk a tightrope to do so. ❑
married, who's being honored by what
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The evolution of
the Detroit Jewish
News has been a
public event since
its founding in
1942. Every Friday,
for 55 years, The
Jewish News has
been a constant in
the lives of many
ARTHUR
readers and their
M.
HORWITZ families. Also, it has
mirrored the
Publisher
changes which have
enabled many in our
community to achieve the American
Dream.
Historians occasionally comb
through our
archives to gain
perspective on the
issues of the day
and what role The
Jewish News and its
founder, Philip
Slomovitz, may
have played in
shaping opinion.
So do readers
interested in trac-
ing an engagement
photo, a grandfa-
ther in army uni-
Breath of
form or a birth
Fresh Air
announcement.
Today's Jewish
News has a new
logo, wider
columns, more attractive typefaces
and an easier-to-follow layout than
those printed two months ago, or 55
years ago. But at its core, it remains a
publication that provides leadership
via its editorial positions and spon-
sorships, but also reflects on its news
pages the reality of the rapid changes
that are shaping Jewish life locally,
nationally and internationally.
While most comments about the
redesign have been favorable (yes,
we're still looking for a way to
enlarge the wedding and engagement
photos within the guidelines of our
new format), the new look has trig-
gered fundamental questions in some
readers' minds. Is The Jewish News
trying to be all things to all people?
Can it be?
By writing about gay and lesbian
Jews, are we condoning their
"lifestyle"? By publishing announce-
ments and photographs of intermar-
ried couples, are we endorsing their
choice of spouse? By writing about a
growing local day school that forbids
television view-
ing, are we con-
curring that the
only way we can
survive is by sepa-
rating ourselves
from secular soci-
ety? By doing a
photo essay on
the tradition of
"shlugging
kapores," a pre-
Yom Kippur ritu-
al that transfers
our sins to chick-
ens that are
slaughtered, are
we saying all
forms of animal
sacrifice are okay
and indirectly endorsing the building
of the Third Temple?
For The Jewish News to be rele-
vant, its pages must reflect the reality
of Jewish communal life. That means
inclusion, wherever possible. And we
continue to shape opinion, whether
it's questioning the cleanliness of our
kosher food establishments, facing
Inside: Jewish Burial - The Theory and the Practice
Rams Don't Dampen The Annual Israel Fest
.
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10/31
1997
35