April 30, 1998

The Editor’s Corner

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When the editors of The Jewish Journal, along withpublisher Stanley Hirsh, started planning an issue to commemorateIsrael's 50th anniversary, we were committed to something other thana "coffee-table" paper. We wanted it to be highly readable andentertaining, definitely, but also filled with stories and newsarticles that were immediate and compelling and newsworthy -- notjust gloss or an endless series of superlatives.

We asked Hirsh Goodman, the gifted Israelijournalist, political analyst and editor, to contribute his thoughts[not available in our online edition]. Then we turned to our Tel Avivcorrespondent, LarryDerfner, who had been following thecomplex stories of ethnic and class rivalry in Israel for more than adecade, and to EricSilver, our man in Jerusalem, who had beenlooking closely at the impact of terrorism on both politics and dailylife in the region.

We called on David Margolis, an Angeleno who had been on the staff of The JewishJournal until he made aliyah about four years ago, toassess his experience in Israel from the perspective of anAmerican-born modern Orthodox Jew.

Former columnist and staff member Yehuda Lev, now living in Providence, R.I., had lived in Israel 50years ago and had fought in the War for Independence; certainly weneeded to include him.

Then there were stories we wanted on the military,on changes concerning the role of women during the past half century,and on tourism and restaurants and writing.

Locally, we enlisted Sally OgleDavis to write about Israel's image inHollywood, and urged StephenSass to contribute a definitive piece onLos Angeles' Zionist history.

And we began collecting the stories ofAngelenos whose lives had been changed byIsrael -- just a small sampling, we know, of what must be far greaternumbers.

We at The Jewish Journal take for granted --perhaps with undeserved pride -- Israel's accomplishments over these50 years. A nation has been built; a people has survived; a dream hasbeen realized for all Jews, not just Israelis. That's cause enoughfor honor and celebration.

We also recognize the conflicts and the adversity:the five wars, the Jewish population that has grown from 600,000 tonearly 5 million, the stalled peace process, the need for security.But the triumph of a people and a vibrant democracy are with each andevery one of us on this 50th anniversary.

So we leave you with our special issue. It iscelebratory, but there is much to read and ponder. My advice is tohold onto this issue for a while; my guess is that there is much herethat will interest you. And it will take considerably more than aweek to read.-- GeneLichtenstein

Publisher, StanleyHirsh

Editor-in chief,Gene Lichtenstein

Managing editor, Robert Eshman

Assistant editor, Stig Jantz

Calendar and copy editor, William Yelles

Senior writer, NaomiPfefferman

Staff writer, RuthStroud

Production coordinator and

online editor, SaraEve Roseman

Community editor,Michael Aushenker

Arts editor, DianeArieff Zaga

Religion Editor, Julie Gruenbaum Fax

Valley Editor, WendyJ. Madnick

Education Editor, Beverly Gray

Senior Columnist, Marlene Adler Marks

National Correspondent, J. J. Goldberg

Contributing writers, James David Besser (Washington),

Larry Derfner (Tel Aviv), Rabbi Ed Feinstein,Linda Feldman, Joel Kotkin, Rabbi Steven Leder, Yehuda Lev, DeborahBerger-Reiss, Eric Silver (Jerusalem), Teresa Strasser

Contributing editor, Tom Tugend

Theater Critic, Charles Marowitz

Art director,Shelley Adler

Photo/Graphics, Carvin Knowles

Advertising Director, Melissa H. Safran

Advertising art director, Lionel Ochoa

Advertising Traffic Coordinator,Kimber Anapoell

Advertising Account Executives,Tamara Liebman, Tori Radaich, SuzanneRinger, Toni Van Ness

Classifieds/Personal Advertising Executive,Bob Garcia

Circulation/Subscription Manager,Myrtle Wells

Controller, MarjattaReed

Bookkeeper, JanetPolyak

Office Administrator, James Black

Courier, PatrickHodges

Members of the corporation,Ed Brennglass (1919-1997), Willard Chotiner, Irwin Daniels,Irwin Field, David Finegood, Herbert Gelfand, Osias Goren, RichardGunther, Stanley Hirsh, Marvin Kristan, Mark Lainer

Legal counsel/ accountants, Leon Katz of Tyre, Kamins, Katz and Granoff; JonathanKirsch of Kirsch and Mitchell/Gerald Block of Block, Plant andEisner

THE JEWISH JOURNAL (ISSN 0888-0468) USPS 468530 ispublished weekly, every Thursday for $23.50 (out of state add $12.50)by Los Angeles Jewish Publications Inc., a community nonprofitcorporation, 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 204, Los Angeles,California 90010. Address all mail to: Jewish Journal, 3660 WilshireBoulevard, Suite 204, Los Angeles, California 90010. Phone213-368-1661, Fax 213-368-1684. E-mail at Los Angeles Freenet,ab871@lafn.org

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