Total Pageviews

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Economics Hitting Jewish Review Newspaper

Nadene Goldfoot
I just received my October 15th semi-monthly newspaper whose headline was: Jewish Review to cease publication.  Their last publication will be Jan. 1, 2012's edition.  Then  my Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon won't be able to post the announcements of our meetings with the topics in it.  Many people probably rely on news concerning Portland's Jewish community as well as what's happening in Israel and will have to find other resources if they care to find out anything.  The Oregonian certainly does not print such things.  The newspaper is from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. 

However, the federation plans on sending out an email newsletter detailing upcoming events in the community.  One must have a computer these days, or very thoughtful children who will print and deliver the news.   

The Federation explained that over the past 6 years, they have spent more than 1 million dollars in operation of the paper.  6,000 homes get the paper. Marc Blattner said the paper has lost about $190,000 per year over the past 6 years.   In stopping the paper, they will have about $100,000 per year to fund other things.  Also, there is a new publishing group , the MediaPoort,LLC, that will be launching a new monthly magazine in January about  Jewish lifestyles in Portland that is competition for them.  This would limit their advertisers, which is where money comes from to pay for publishing the paper. 

Portland started with "The Scribe" a Jewish paper, which stopped in 1953. It was a very Zionistic newspaper whose founding editor was Rabbi Johah Wise in 1926.  Beth Israel's Rabbi Berkowitz came on board. 

I remember learning that Ben Padrow was the first editor of the Jewish Review, and a volunteer one at that.  He started with an 8 page paper published 6 times a year. The paper started January 1, 1959.    He was my neighbor when I grew up in Ladds Addition.  Then he was my Speech professor at Portland State way back in about 1958.  His parents had been born and raised in Tel Aviv, and their passports read : from "Palestine."  They had been our neighbors since at least 1940, maybe before.  I played with Joan, Ben's little sister, almost daily. She had the highest IQ that Abernethy School ever saw.  Joan was about 3 years younger than me.  Mimi, their mother,  would always walk over to visit with my mother.  Ben's father was not only a dentist but owned the corner pharmacy and was the pharmacist.  What a brilliant fellow he was. He even scrubbed their huge kitchen floor for Mimi every week. 

Back in 1957 we had 7,892 Jews in Portland.  Half of them were self employed with their own businesses, like my father who had Lincoln Wholesale Meats at that time.  Later he expanded and owned Silver Falls Meat Packing Co.  46% of the Jews were foreign born like my grandparents. 
 
I have a feeling we'll be getting another Jewish newspaper one of these days.  I hope so.  Our Jewish Review only used JTA ( Jewish Telegraphic Agency) for their world news information. they also have some terrific reporters.   Maybe the next paper can present other viewpoints as well.  There is the WJNA (World Jewish News Agency, and the EJP (European Jewish Press, and of course there are the different newspapers that are from Israel as well which are online. 
 
http://www.jewishreview.org/local/50-years-of-the-jewish-review
Jewish Review Newspaper October 15, 2011
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6389/is_3_86/ai_n28720917/pg_5/

No comments: