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6 | FEBRUARY 6 • 2020
editor’
s letter
An Editor’s Welcome
W
ow. I still can’
t
believe I’
m here
speaking to you
as the new editor of the
Jewish News.
This is the first issue I’
m
overseeing in my new posi-
tion, but I remember read-
ing these pages as a child
in Huntington
Woods. The JN
was one of the
first print mag-
azines I can
recall seeing in
the homes of
my family and
friends, and it
played a big role in my own
decision to enter journal-
ism as a profession. Since
I’
ve been fortunate enough
to work for organizations
like NPR and The Atlantic
over the years, I owe JN a
tremendous amount of grat-
itude.
If you’
re reading this, I
imagine that, like me, you
care about Detroit’
s Jewish
community. I remember
the warm feelings of sup-
port I felt growing up. I
remember my pride when
I became a bar mitzvah at
Temple Emanu-El in Oak
Park. When I graduated
from the University of
Michigan and moved from
Ann Arbor to Washington,
D.C., to Chicago to Paris, I
would try to seek out a new
Jewish community wherever
I went. I must have attend-
ed services at more than a
dozen different congrega-
tions, across many denom-
inations. But I was never
able to replicate the close-
ness and companionship of
Detroit’
s Jewish population.
So when JN Publisher
Arthur Horwitz and
Renaissance Media
CEO Kevin Browett first
approached me about this
position, I recognized what
an incredible opportunity it
represented. That’
s why I’
m
so excited to now play a role
in fostering that invaluable
sense of community for the
next generation of JN readers.
Yes, I said “next gen-
eration,” and yes, I’
m a
Millennial. (Coming soon:
Passover recipes for avoca-
do-matzah toast!) I know the
idea of change can be scary,
but it’
s no secret that the
JN is in a difficult financial
position. That’
s kind of why
I’
m here in the first place.
The modern media industry
is struggling. But the truth
is, the JN is too valuable an
asset to the Detroit Jewish
community — and to Jews
the world over who care
about what happens here —
to be allowed to fade away.
So I’
m committed to
broadening JN’
s reach
and appeal. In the coming
months we aim to expand
our footprint with increased
digital-first content at
TheJewishNews.com; live
events to encourage dialogue
across the Metro Detroit
area; new multimedia proj-
ects; new local voices reflect-
ing diverse Jewish opinions
and experiences; and more.
And I want to hear from
you, too. In the grand tra-
dition of Jews everywhere,
the JN must argue with
itself. What does it mean
to be Jewish in Detroit in
2020, and are we reflecting
that in our stories? We need
the support of our readers
to survive, but are we truly
earning it? Are we present
in the spaces where we can
have the most impact on the
conversation? Are we being
inclusive in our framing of
the key issues affecting our
community?
These are tough questions.
But they’
re also the kinds
of challenges I live for. I’
m
a critic by trade, and I love
to think critically about
problems that need a mix of
insight and chutzpah. I’
ve
also spent years researching
the challenges facing local,
mission-driven media in
the digital age. My Judaism
is important to me, as are
my Detroit roots. Put them
all together, and the task of
figuring out the future of JN
starts to look … well, kind
of fun.
I’
m overwhelmed by
the support I’
ve already
received from the commu-
nity. Seeing so many friends
and colleagues kvelling over
your new job is a great ego
boost. From the bottom of
my heart, thank you all for
believing in me, and in the
importance of this publica-
tion. I hope I won’
t let you
down.
If you would like to show
your support to JN, please
consider purchasing a sub-
scription for yourself or a
relative. Be sure to sign up
for our email newsletter and
follow us on social media.
Watch this space for future
announcements that will
allow you to lend your sup-
port in different ways. I can’
t
wait to see where this jour-
ney takes us.
Andrew Lapin
Editor
Appeasement
Doesn’
t Work
Regarding Jonathan Tobin’
s “It Was
Time for an Administration to
Break Foreign-Policy ‘
Rules’
” (Jan.
16, page 8) — it concludes, “… it’
s
also time for the chattering classes
to stop pretending that Trump is
the problem. It was high time that
someone had the nerve to break the
wheel that perpetuated Iran’
s power
and violence.
”
Appeasement has never worked
to the Free World’
s benefit. We
are grateful the president of the
United States is challenging tyran-
ny, supporting Israel and opposing
anti-Semitism.
— Ronna Ross, Secretary
Michigan Jewish Action Council
Immigrants or Settlers?
Louis Finkelman ends his article
“Local Reactions” (Jan. 16) about
immigration with “Differing Views,
”
but perhaps there’
s more to it.
Generally speaking, an immigrant
is someone seeking to become one
of us. A settler is someone seeking
better pastures but bringing along
their culture.
The two contrasting attitudes
depend on which group you
focus on. I’
m pro-immigrant and
anti-settler. If you don’
t respect the
American culture, you are not wel-
come. It’
s not what you are running
from but what you are running to.
Much of the chaos migrants are
running from is due to genocidal
hatred and over-population driven
by religion-dominated cultures, and
I don’
t want those self-destructive
cultures to settle in this country.
The problem I have with both
sides is that neither is putting ade-
quate emphasis on sorting out the
arrivals. Where they arrive from and
how much money is in their pocket
are not valid measures of their abil-
ity to assimilate. I do hope that the
next election gives us a choice other
than between open borders or our
version of the Berlin Wall.
— Dennis L. Green
Farmington Hills
LETTERS continued from page 5
continued on page 10