The Lichtenstein Formula for a Jewish Paper

By Tom Tugend
Published on June 29, 2006

The role of a Jewish newspaper is to connect the Jewish community, not to unify it," said Gene Lichtenstein, founding editor of The Journal.
During his nearly 15-year tenure, which ended in 2000, Lichtenstein's formula was to hire good, independent writers and columnists who could produce articles that raised the interest, and frequently the hackles, of both professional and peripheral Jews.

Believe It or Not

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on August 5, 2004

"It's All True" (Simon & Schuster, 2004) by David Freeman offers us a portrait of an outsized Hollywood, so unbelievable that it must be dead on. It is, more precisely, a novel, lovingly unfolded about the movie business: How it works and how its players -- adults spoiled by too much money and power -- act out their lives. "Oh me-oh, my-oh," as Henry Wearie would say.

Wearie is the novel's hero. He is actually a fictitious character, a screenwriter trying to hustle a script idea into a movie deal, but in a voice that sounds eerily like that of Freeman, who himself is a screenwriter. In its way, this book serves as a more knowing successor to Freeman's earlier work, "A Hollywood Education," published 18 years ago, after the author had moved to Los Angeles from New York.

Secession Question

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on October 10, 2002

USC recently hosted a panel discussion around this topic: Is secession good for the Jews?

Gathering for Peace

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on August 29, 2002

Last Sunday afternoon, I and about 30 other Angelenos accepted an invitation to gather at the Brentwood home of Joan and Rabbi Leonard Beerman to meet with Nafez and Laila Nazzal, two Palestinian professors who were visiting Los Angeles.

Differing Views on European Anti-Semitism

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on May 16, 2002

The talk here in Los Angeles -- about anti-Semitism and Europe -- is by turns angry and cynical. And not just from the proverbial "Jewish man on the street," so quick to respond both to real and imagined slights. It is almost as though the suspicion that Europeans could not be trusted, that they were fundamentally bred to the bone as anti-Semites, had finally been confirmed. A Jewish leader here, with considerable professional experience working with European organizations, is bitter: The Europeans need oil, he tells me, and the Arabs have it. The rest is conversation.

An Affair to Remember: Hollywood and the Jews

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on March 21, 2002

Oscar night is almost upon us, and there is considerable talk (and pride) about three of the chief contenders -- Halle Berry, Will Smith and Denzel Washington -- all of whom are black. But don't be fooled: Hollywood and the film industry is still primarily a Jewish story, no matter who deserves and carts off the evening's prizes.

Well Versed

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on November 9, 2000

The trouble with reading Judith Viorst's delightful new book of verse, "Suddenly Sixty, And Other Shocks of Later Life," is that you recognize another decade has gone by in her life and so, presumably, in yours as well. "Suddenly Sixty "follows on the high heels of those earlier guideposts - "It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty," "How Did I Get to Be Forty," and "Forever Fifty" - and like them charts the changes and new quirks in her life as another 10 years flit by.

Letters to the Editor

Published on October 5, 2000

Letters to the Editor.

Beginnings and Endings

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on September 21, 2000

Every newspaper editor knows that one day he will have to step down. He may put the idea out of mind or revel in denial. But the thought is always there, loitering out of sight. Departure may come suddenly by way of death, illness or age. Or it may spring up with the changes that appear everywhere, while the editor persists in remaining unchanged and, therefore, out of step. Or there may simply, and unexpectedly, be an offer he can't refuse.

Jewish Angst

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on September 7, 2000

Recently, a Chinese-American doctor was monitoring my heart as the speed and incline were increased on the treadmill during a stress test. Perhaps he wanted me to relax; perhaps he was bored and was trying to make conversation. Apropos of nothing but my presence on the treadmill, he casually tossed the question at me: "What do you think of Lieberman as the vice presidential candidate? Were you surprised?"I gave a perfunctory answer, yes and no, and then heard myself say, "When I was a boy, his nomination would have been astonishing. Jews were outsiders then. But now we're part of the U.S., just like any other white American."

The Great Divide

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on August 24, 2000

Who are your readers, a friend asked me recently. He is not Jewish, which perhaps explains the question.I gave a pat answer: Young and old; men and women; observant and secular; liberal and conservative; survivors and their offspring; families that often trace their history through three generations. The usual; you've met them all. I waved away the question.

With Power Comes Responsibility

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on August 17, 2000

From a Jewish perspective, this past week in Los Angeles was a tremendous success. Among other things, it tended to confirm the influential role of the Jewish community in L.A. From the parties that President Clinton attended to the panelists at the Shadow Convention who derided and dogged the very proceedings at Staples Center, Jewish organizations and activists were dominant figures.

Lieberman and the Jews

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on August 10, 2000

The selection of Sen. Joseph Lieberman as the Democratic vice presidential candidate, while clearly a political tactic, has nevertheless managed to thrill most of us, Jewish Republicans as well as Democrats. Even those most at ease with their access to, and success within, mainstream non-Jewish America were affected ... and surprised by being so moved. Albert Gore's inspired choice, regardless of political motive(s), crossed a line that touched every one of us.

Barak at Camp David

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on July 20, 2000

There is a sense at this moment that "time has stopped." That all political voices have become silent, in Israel no less than in the United States, while Messrs. Arafat, Barak and Clinton struggle over language, issues and principles in an effort to reach a peace agreement.

Barak at Camp David

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on July 13, 2000

There is a sense at this moment that "time has stopped." That all political voices have become silent, in Israel no less than in the United States, while Messrs. Arafat, Barak and Clinton struggle over language, issues and principles in an effort to reach a peace agreement.

Jewish Journalism

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on June 29, 2000

Jewish Journalism

A Letter From The Editor

By James D
Published on March 30, 2000

I first thought of publishing an Orange County section of The Jewish Journal -- or better yet a separate edition -- about five years ago. When I took a closer look, though, our resources seemed too thin. We lacked the necessary funds and staff. And so we -- the publisher, the board of directors and I -- set the idea aside.

Claiming Freud

Published on March 30, 2000

The Freud exhibit opens at the Skirball Cultural Center Tues., April 4, and it has set my mind racing; free associating, if you will.

Some Thoughts on My New Year

Published on September 9, 1999

Another year come and gone. Another one beginning. For me, an occasion more for recollection than repentance.

News of the Week

Published on May 20, 1999

Most of the people I know in Israel voted for Barak; a few preferred Netanyahu. But on the part of almost everyone, outcome aside, there was a tremendous sense of excitement, of participating in what felt like an intense moment of change.

UJ Stages ‘The Quarrel’

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on January 7, 1999

About 10 years ago, give or take a year, I was invited to director Arthur Hiller's home to attend a reading of a work in progress. About 80 to 100 people turned out and listened raptly as two wonderful actors, script in hand, read the work in progress. It was a play called "The Quarrel," written by two friends, David Brandes and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and based on a short story by Yiddish writer Chaim Grade. I mean no exaggeration when I say that everyone seated in Hiller's spacious living area knew they were listening to a play that was special.

The Editor’s Corner

Published on July 2, 1998

Reunion

Politics, Israeli Style

Published on May 28, 1998

Some of you may have caught last week's New Yorker (May 25) with journalist David Remnick's profile of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. If not, I urge you to call the magazine's offices in New York and order a back copy, or simply visit your local library.

The Editor’s Corner

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on April 9, 1998

The good news about Passover in America circa 1998is that more Jews than ever are embracing the holiday. It has become,as Dr. Ron Wolfson tells us (in the Passover section), our mostpopular Jewish holiday. Even non-Jews seek an invitation to a sederat the home of Jewish friends.

The Editor’s Corner

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on April 2, 1998

My problem with Dennis Prager, author, radio host,newsletter writer, is simple: I like the man, but I just can't readhis writing. In person, I find him open, engaging, serious. In print,he comes across to me as narrow-minded, ponderous and self-involved.I usually settle my conflict by shying away from the publicpersona.
But with his new book, "Happiness Is a SeriousProblem," and its appearance on the best-seller list, I thought Imight try again.

The Editor’s Corner

Published on March 26, 1998

My mother is 87. Or is it 90? As long as I can remember, I thought that she had been born in 1910, was named Miriam Euffa, and brought here from Kievas a 5-year-old by parents who were educated, and who had been part of what must have been a turn-of-the-century minority: the Russian-Ukrainian Jewish professional class. Now Medicare tells methat her Social Security card lists her year of birth as 1907.

A House Divided

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on July 10, 1997

My grandparents were Orthodox Jews. They arrived on these shores shortly before the onset of the first world war and had four children, two sons and two daughters. Two of the children were artist-intellectuals, somewhat on the bohemian side (a musician and an artist) and quite political; two were conventionally middle-class. None followed in my grandparents' religious footsteps.