PUBLISHER'S NOTEBOOE

Giants Come In All Shapes And Sizes

page advertisements on its front page.
espite failing eyesight and
What Buerger did is the stuff of
frail fingers, Philip Slo-
legends. He turned the business
movitz maintained a love
upside down, but always kept his eye
affair with the Jewish News
on the target. . . creating a publication
for more than 50 years. It was his cre-
of high quality with unique content.
ation, his passion. With support from
He hired and trained two of the finest
the community Slomovitz started the
executives in Jewish media, Gary
Jewish News in. 1942 as a voice for
Rosenblatt and Sylvia
unity and hope in an era of
Stafford, and that three-
despair. Though short of
some, along with talented
stature, Slomovitz utilized the
designer Kim Muller-
sturdy platform provided by
Thym, made the Baltimore
his newspaper to battle anti-
Jewish Times the largest and
semitism and preach the need
most respected Jewish
to create, and later build, a
weekly publication in the
Jewish state.
world.
Right up to his death at
When Buerger acquired
age 96, Slomovitz continued
the Jewish News, he sought
to write his column "Purely
ART HUR M.
to replicate the Baltimore
Commentary" Since the
HO RWITZ
success story. But he was
1920s, when "Purely Com-
Pu blisher
missing an ingredient .. .
mentary" first appeared in the
someone to make it happen
now defunct Jewish Chronicle,
in
Detroit.
After more than a year of
the column ran every week for 70
commuting between Baltimore and
years. Slomovitz was the Cal Ripken
Detroit, during which time he also
Jr. — the iron man — of Jewish jour-
underwent major heart surgery Buerg-
nalism. He educated and shaped two,
er and I crossed paths while serving on
perhaps even three, generations with
an Associated Jewish Charities public
his pen.
relations committee. At the time, I
When Slomovitz decided in 1984
was marketing manager of the Balti-
to sell the Jewish News, he found
another giant in Chuck Buerger, the
more Sun.
My life was about to be changed by
innovative, iconoclastic publisher of
this frizzy-haired, chunky man with a
the BaltiMore Jewish Times. Buerger
penChant for nice, but wrinkled suits
moved from his native Pittsburgh to
and no socks. I didn't know it then,
Baltimore in 1972 to run his family's
but I was the missing ingredient. With
newspaper. Though long on years (it
my wife, Gina, and 2-year-old son
was founded in 1919), the paper was
Daniel in tow, we moved to the
short on quality. In fact, it ran full-

D

To the writer of the article, it doesn't
matter who wrote the Torah. It could
have been written by anyone. Hun-
dreds of men and women through the
ages could have written the Torah. If
that is so, we can sit down and write
our own Torah. After all, we are smart;
we drive big cars; we operate comput-
ers. Why can't we write our own
Torah?
This attitude will lead to utter
chaos and to the obliteration of the
Jews as a people. Who cares? All Jews
who believe in God, who bind them-
selves with an unconditional commit-
ment to the laws of the Torah — they
care.
The author asks, "Judaism encour-
ages questioning everything. Why
would the Torah be exempt?" True,
the Jewish faith is based on the free-
dom of inquiry and the search for the

Detroit area in early 1986.
Over the next 10 years, we
had a remarkable partnership
and friendship. The Jewish
News attained the lofty expec-
tations envisioned by Buerger
and we had fun in the process.
Our special relationship ended
suddenly and cruelly, with his
death at age 57 following
complications from heart
surgery. Another giant of the
Jewish News gone.
The three years following
Buerger's death were difficult
for his family and business
Michael Steinhardt: partner
associates, and led to a decision
to seek potential buyers for
partnership is a vision for the future of
their media holdings, including the
American
Jewish life that focuses on
Jewish News. Enter another giant.
education
and communication. It's
Having achieved fame and fortune as
one
that
is
compatible with the mis-
a hedge fund manager, Michael Stein-
sion of the Jewish News and Jewish
hardt decided to devote his time and
Times.
resources to strengthening American
I'm appreciative of the unwavering
Jewish life. From Birthright Israel to
support and encouragement provided
Hillel on college campuses, day school
by my colleagues at the Jewish News
funding to the Rabbi Yitz Greenberg-led
and Atlanta Jewish Times during a
Jewish Life Network — many of the
three-year period of uncertainty, from
most innovative programs targeting Jew-
Chuck Buerger's death to the culmina-
ish identity have Steinhardt's imprint.
tion of this acquisition. Giants do,
His interests also include a major owner-
indeed, come in all shapes and sizes.
ship stake with Seth Lipsky in Forward
But our achievements.— past, present
LLC, publisher of the English language
and future — would be impossible
version of the venerable Forward news-
without the talented professionals who
paper.
create the Jewish News for you, our
With Steinhardt as my partner, the
valued
readers.
Jewish News and our sister publication,
We
continue to look forward to the
the Atlanta Jewish Times, were
opportunity to serve you.
acquired this week. At the root of our

❑

truth. The problem is what is the
motivation behind this questioning? Is
it to worship the Almighty and seek
ways to make the Torah and its com-
mandments part of our daily life? Or
is it to mock, ridicule and besmirch
the sacred Scriptures with insouciant
frivolities? The author doesn't realize
he is trampling on the religious sensi-
tivities of a myriad of Jews when he
asks these questions.
The writer questions whether Abra-
ham, Moses and David really lived.
Well, if the Bible is just "some old
book," this whole thing is just a fairy
tale; therefore, it is worthless, having
no basis in the truth.
Moses Maimonides, in his Thir-

our master (at Sinai)."
Jews have died with the words Ani
ma'amin (I believe) on their lips.
Those Jews cared, and all those who
are dedicated to the future of our peo-
ple, care who wrote the Torah.
The author of the article expresses
concern about whether archaeological
findings will verify the history of our
people as it is depicted in the Bible.
Holy writ does not require archaeolog-
ical proofs. On the contrary, archaeo-
logical discoveries can be substantiated
by biblical proofs.

teen Principles of the Jewish Faith,

Give Credit
Where Due

writes: "I believe with a perfect faith
that the entire Torah, as it is found
in our hands, was given to Moses,

s Rabbi Jack Goldman
West Bloomfield

Thank you for the inclusion in your

looking back column ("Remember
When," Feb. 4): "Barbara Grant,
NCJW president, announced the
formation of Hakol, a social con-
sciousness committee for women 25-
40 ..."
"Announced" is most definitely
the operative word. Credit for the
development of that group goes to
Kim Lifton, a woman of vision and
persistence who saw a need and rose
to meet it. Though Hakol is no
longer in existence, the friendships
made and commitments to commu-
nity formed continue to bear fruit
today.
Our community is enriched by the
many "Kims" who dream dreams and
dare to make them realities.

Barbara Grant
West Bloomfield

e

AIN
2/11

2000

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