Turning a page after a decade…
T en years ago this month, I was a 33-year-old walking into The Canadian Jewish News office to start my new job as editor-in-chief. I know it was a Tuesday, because back then Mon- day was newspaper production day, which involved a mad scramble to get the pages off to the printer. Nobody would’ve noticed my entrance—much less had a second to direct me to the corner office. But I remember what I was wearing, and the song I blasted on the drive to the border of Toronto and Thornhill to pump myself up, because I was so nervous. A decade later, The CJN’s operations are largely virtual, and I’m closing those tabs while reminis- cing about everything that happened in between. The ups and the downs—and the times when things went completely sideways, like when the newspaper closed in April 2020. Eight months later, a 60-year-old media outlet many figured was gone for good miraculously returned. I’m happy to report that the good times out- weighed the bad. The job gave me more than I could’ve ever hoped for. But before I move on to a different role, let me get a few things on the record. The first is to wish my colleagues much success going forward. News media is a tough haul at the best of times. And these aren’t those times. And yet, The CJN was reinvented with a model that demonstrates how journalism can work, by being nimble enough for constant iteration and innova- tion, thanks to enthusiastic community support. What it really boils down to is knowing your audience. But it’s not like this one is a monolith, either. There are around 400,000 Jews in Canada, spread out over a vast geographical space, with too many denominations, sub-denominations and non-denominations to count. Still, we want each and every one of them to see themselves somehow reflected in this project. Probably not at the same time, or tuned in to the same frequency, but often enough to feel connected to something bigger. And feel comforted that they’re being seen as uniquely as they are. When I started this job, tens of thousands of readers would show their support with a weekly newspaper subscription, and that was enough of a relationship for most. Now, the relationship is something our audience needs to have reinforced each day. The CJN is sustainable thanks to you feeling some ownership in this project.
The validation came in the form of the many hundreds who have so far considered this a cause worth a tax-deductible contribution of at least $100 a year. (You can find the latest names on page 30 of this issue—then add yours if you haven’t yet.) Along with our daily news and podcasts, the support is allowing the magazine you’re holding to evolve in wonderful ways that will go even further in 2024, with confidence that continues to grow. When I was young I never thought I’d end up a journalist. I sort of fell into it by accident. I certainly never dreamed of making fundraising pitches for the publication my parents and grandparents read at the kitchen table. But it ended up coming naturally to me. The motivation came from watching how the initial promise of social media devolved into a competition between loudmouths and idealogues, who drowned out so many traditional sources of information. And when the news is so easily ma- nipulated, we need outlets we can trust, as a pillar on which a community rests. While others tried to fill the short-lived gap, it be- came increasingly clear to me during that fraught pandemic year: Jews in Canada needed The CJN. The people who stood by me felt the same way. You can be sure that they are as dedicated as I have been. The office I first entered was vacated early in the lockdown. And the only thing I saved from the wall was a January 2015 front page printed days after the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, with just three stark words: “Je Suis Juif.” It’s a reminder that when tragedy befalls our people, we rally together, we understand each other on a deeper level—and few words are neces- sary in the end. Similar sentiments were in the air when we were putting this issue together in the weeks leading up to Hanukkah. Thankfully, the media outlet I led for a decade has many things to celebrate, and the future should only bring more. The Canadian Jewish News will be here for you through thick and thin to provide a crucial connection, with doses of whimsy along the way. It’s been an honour to do this job. And now I’m honoured to join the rest of you in looking forward to what The CJN does next. — Yoni Goldstein
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