Editorials

T

Striving To Better Our Community

o our readers:
"The Jewish News strives to be a supermarket
of information and views, where readers of all
ages andfi-om all religious and economic back-
grounds can congregate in the midst of our pages and find
something— every Friday — that will enlighten, enrich and
entertain ... In the coming year, we remain committed to
working with all who seek to foster cooperation and under-
standing between Jew and Jew, Jew and non-Jew."
I wrote these words to you, our valued
readers, in 1986. They comprised the first of
what has become an annual "state of The
Jewish News" Rosh Hashanah message.
Much has changed since then. Upward
and outward migration diluted the Jewishly
condensed Oak Park and Southfield core.
Acrimonious debate over Israel's Law of
Return caused fissures in a facade of unity.
Demographers quantified high levels of
intermarriage and spawned the Jewish conti-
nuity craze. We were being asked to preserve
ourselves, not just Israel.
But some things haven't changed. Thir-
teen years later, the words in that first mes-
sage remain integral to our mission (see box).
The "supermarket of information and views" added
shelf space and voices. Under Editor Robert A. Sklar,
we've doubled the number of news columns devoted to
opinion and commentary and letters to the editor. The
result? A livelier and broader discussion of topical issues.
To provide an environment where "readers of all ages
and from all religious and economic backgrounds can
congregate in the midst of our pages," weekly AppleTree
and Scene sections were introduced and refined for fami-
lies with children and 20-to-30-something singles, respec-
tively. A Cyberspot section was introduced last week to
appeal to the burgeoning number of readers who are on
line.
The food, health, travel and sports pages were pack-
aged as a Living Well section, the popular entertainment
section was fine-tuned and all were melded into a design
consisting of a new logo and typefaces, wider columns
and an easy-to-use contents page.
While we still link you via our printed pages, in 1986
we didn't anticipate the information explosion caused by
ever-faster microchips and the advent of the worldwide
web. This month, for the first time, you can access our
website at www.detroitjewishnews.com . It is an exciting
work in progress. For example, you can access it daily for
up-to-date obituary information, read and respond to let-
ters before they appear in The Jewish News and get a pre-
view of the coming week's best entertainment bets. The
site also contains the electronic version of the JN Source-
Book, a just-released publication that links all parts of the
community with extensive listings and information.
To "foster cooperation between Jew and Jew, Jew and
non-Jew," The Jewish News partnered this past year with
several community-minded organizations. The list
includes: Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and
its Centennial, Teen Mission, Miracle Mission III and
Commission on Jewish Eldercare Services; Jewish Experi-
ences For Families and its Apples and Honey and Purim
Parcel projects; Agency for Jewish Education and its

Midrasha adilt education program; Yad Ezra; Oakland
County Food Bank; Jewish Ensemble Theatre; Neighbor-
hood Project; Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame; Aish
HaTorah; Temple Israel Treasures; Friends of the Israel
Defense Forces; Jewish Business Exchange; Workmens'
Circle; Fresh Air Society 95th anniversary; Jewish Voca-
tional Service; Jewish Apartments and Services and its 8
over 80 program; Jewish Family Service and its Windows
program; Jewish Community Center of Metroplitan
Detroit and its Maccabi Games, Book Fair, Chanukah
and educational programs; Jewish Commu-
nity Council of Metropolitan Detroit and
its community outreach programs; Michi-
gan Jewish AIDS Coalition; Grosse Pointe
Jewish Council; Tzedakah Experience; Jew-
ish Genealogical Society of Michigan; Com-
mission for the Dissemination of Jewish
. History; Zionist Organization of America;
B'nai B'rith; Cystic Fibrosis Foundation;
American Cancer Society; American Heart
Association; American Red Magen David
for Israel and American Red Cross.
A review of the year would be incomplete
without highlighting a few things we need
to do better. Because of new computer systems and their
attendant glitches, we haven't provided excellent service to
some of our advertisers and subscribers. Over the years,
we've managed to entertain our readers with playful Purim
spoofs. Recently, they've lost much of their humor and
became hurtful. They will not appear in the future. Also,
the presentation of some cover stories, including one
abowt circumcision, need to be evaluated with sensitivity.
And speaking of sensitivity, the wrong version appeared of
a recent advertisement, showing a man showering. I'm
sorry.
Looking ahead to the New Year, you can expect a:
*reshaping of our national and international coverage,
including a realignment of news from Israel that places
less emphasis on the political blow-by-blow stories and
more on the everyday slice of life stories;
*better focused Living Well section with greater
emphasis on food and periodic lifestyle content, including
design and fashion;
*greater emphasis on local reporting and writing, the
backbone of The Jewish News;
*commitment to excellent customer service;
*continued partnering with community groups and
organizations, especially those engaged in Jewish educa-

tion;

*a quality website that you will want to visit daily.
Please accept my sincere wishes for a New Year filled
with health, happiness and contentment. Your passion
and care for The Jewish News continues to be a source of
inspiration. It's something I never take for granted.

L'shana tova,

Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher

IN FOCUS

A Brand-New Ride

Jerry Kaufman, a vice president of the Jew-
ish Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit, speaks to a crowd of 30 gathered at
the dedication of the "Molly Mobile," a new
van that will be shared by the JCC and Jew-
ish Family Service. The van, which cost
$42,000, was bought with money donated
by the Kaufman Memorial Trust, the Rosen-
haus Family, Lois and Dr. Milton Shiffman,
and Dr. Peter and Esther Shifrin. The
wheelchair-accessible van is named in honor
of Betty Rosenhaus' grandmother. The JCC
gets it four mornings per week. JFS will use
it the rest of the time for the Coville Apart-
ments resident outings and transportation
department uses.

N ission
Statement

The Jewish News aspires to communi-
cate news and opinion that's useful,
engaging, enjoyable and unique. It
strives to reflect the full range of
diverse viewpoints while also advocat-
ing positions that strengthen Jewish
unity and continuity.
We desire to create and maintain a
challenging, caring, enjoyable work
environment that encourages creativi-
ty and innovation. We acknowledge
our role as a responsible, responsive
member of the community. Being
competitive, we must always strive to
be the most respected,. outstanding
Jewish community publication in the
nation.
Our rewards are informed, dedicat-
ed readers, very satisfied advertisers,
contented employees and profitable
growth.

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Detroit Jewish News

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