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SPECIAL COMMENTARY
Reading The
Journalism Parsha
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bout this time last
year, I was the
news editor at the
why we have it on the front
page of this issue of the Jew-
ish Times. It is our biggest
story.
I was raised as a thor-
oughly assimilated non-Jew.
I can trace my father's Jew-
ish family back to
Witelshofen in Bavaria at
the turn of the 18th century,
and I know that until the
passage to America they
were observant. But my
• father wasn't raised Jewishly
and nor was my mother,
although her father was
Jewish and possibly obser-
Detroit Jewish
News, the sister paper to the
Atlanta Jewish Times and I
was wondering what we
might do for coverage of the
holiday.
I approached the matter
journalistically. I called a
JONATHAN
friend, a rabbi, to ask what
FRIENDLY
was the basic question: What
Special to
are you doing special for
the Jewish News
Passover?
The sly devil didn't hesi-
vant.
tate for a moment — "We're reading
In any event, I went to an Episco-
the Song of Songs."
pal school — which is often enough
That's the trouble with asking sen-
to keep a young man from develop-
sible questions of rabbis. They give
ing a lot of religious feeling one way
you answers you have to think about.
or another. At home we certainly
I've been thinking about his answer
didn't mark Passover, or Rosh
for a year. Finally I'm beginning to get
it.
HaShana, or Yom Kippur. Christmas
was a distinct moment, but it was
Reporters are trained to seek the
the secular exchange of gifts that
new and the unique. We like opening
gave it meaning.
sentences that contain "st" words, like
So I come to thinking about
"biggest, newest, longest, most." Our
Judaism rather late in life. When I
ideal is an event that has never hap-
started at the Detroit job, I was quick-
pened before and probably won't hap-
ly dubbed "The Newish Jew at the
pen again.
Jewish News."
Some people complain that we are
My newsroom boss in Detroit has
always after the bad stuff, the stories
been actively showing me how to
about how something went wrong.
cultivate my neshama, my Jewish
But that's not really the case: what we
soul, and he's making some limited
seek is the different. In practice, that
headway with his appeals to tikkun
often means how events have departed
olam (repairing the world). Many
from the norm.
journalists are, at heart, incurably
What we don't usually seek is
romantic. They believe that by
continuity. We think you don't need
telling readers about the events and
us to tell you that the sun rose again
this morning, that the 17 children in issues of their community they are
contributing in some small way to
Mrs. Siegel's class continued their
making that community better. For
study of biology or that nobody got
us, it counts as repairing the world
hurt delivering the seats for the new
— although we affect a gruff skepti-
theater at the Jewish Community
cism that does not readily treat our
Center.
acts as mitzvot.
Our standard definition of impor-
A year ago the rabbi thought to
tant news can sometimes blind us to
teach me a lesson, and he succeeded.
the best stories — as the rabbi so
But, with all humility, I note that the
politely pointed out.
traditions of journalism inform
The fact that we as a people have
Passover just as Passover should
been on the same page for 3,000 years
inform journalism.
is extraordinary. Can you think of
What, after all, could be more
another human ceremony that has
deeply journalistic than the opening
been observed for so long and that
line for Wednesday night's seder:
still is so deeply felt, whether as a reli-
"Why is this night different from all
gious moment or as a family one?
other nights?"
Passover actually fits the definition
My answer is that what makes this
of news as what is unique and mean-
night different is that it has been the
ing-filled. It ought to be on the front
same for longer than any other
page of a lot of newspapers. That's
moment in human history.
Hey, stop the presses and get me
Jonathan Friendly is interim editor of
rewrite. I've got a great story here. ❑
the Atlanta Jewish Times.