Welcome everyone to my annual state of the city Rosh Hashanah letter to the community. This is a community I grew up in and have decided to serve you, the Jewish people, for my livelihood. Every year, much to everyone’s surprise I start with a new blank sheet of paper and begin to look back on a very eventful year. I try and also look forward as to the events that will shape the year to come. With the events in America and the events in Israel and around the world, it has been a very good and bad year all at the same time.
With the war that began on October 7, all of our lives have been turned upside down. With the protests on college campuses and all the other protests, it seems like one protest after another, we all just want peace and calm in our collective lives. I know that some people thrive on this type of chaos but most of us just want peace. I feel for the people and families that are dealing with unthinkable loss and heartache. Our collective thoughts go out to you. I think daily of the hostages and the horror and horrible times they are enduring. I wish them a speedy release and that this war will come to an end, now. I pray everyday for the safe return of all hostages, and that they should return swiftly, healthy, mentally strong, and emotionally intact.
As the Publisher of The American Israelite, it is my duty to this community to look into the future and envision the trends that will shape this year and the coming years in this community. I will talk later about a new initiative that I am starting to address this need.
As one of my favorite baseball announcers used to say “How we lookin?” We love hearing from you our readers. It is because of you that we add new writers and stories and add columnists. It is because of you that we add new ways of reaching you. Please let us know what you think. We can be reached the old fashioned way by telephone, by email, and by our many social media accounts. Let your voice be heard. If you want it to be used as a letter to the editor that is one way, and if you just want to keep it between us we can do that as well.
The word of the year is resiliency. We the Jewish people have suffered and as the hostages continue to suffer we must look forward to better days ahead. I look forward to the day when all hostages are released and come home. We as a people must remain resilient and we must teach that to the world.
People are constantly asking me what ways can we reach the unaffiliated. I have two ways. 1. Give them a subscription to this paper. If you know of someone in your family or in the community let us know who they are. I believe once they start reading the paper whether in print or online they will see what is going on in the community. Once they go to an event we can begin to get them to participate in the community. 2. The other way is that all synagogues go back to the beginning. Start reading the Torah portion every Saturday morning in shul. Once read let’s talk and discuss what the torah portion means for that week. It is always different and it always is engaging. That is what people thrive on. Exercising their mind will get them to come back and start participating once again.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire staff of The American Israelite, all in the office and outside the office. You all do a great job every week under very tight time windows and under deadline pressure. We all thrive on the pressure to get the paper out. Once ink gets in your blood it is hard to get it out. I also want to thank all of our podcast hosts, old and new. They do a great job in terms of keeping the conversation interesting and engaging. Thank you all. I also want to thank the people of the year who have lead by example. They dedicate their lives to leading the way and showing all of us that selfless service pays dividends way beyond a paycheck, and that giving back has many rewards.
As I do every year, I ask you to forgive me for any mistakes I have made this year. If you feel I have harmed you in any way please let me make it right. Let us both start the new year with a clean slate. My email is publisher@americanisraelite.com. I will be more than happy to do all that I can to correct the mistakes and to get both our lives back on the right track.
We are seeking writers and editors for a new venture we are starting. We want people that are passionate about speaking to their fellow community members. I want people that want to write about all kinds of new stories I have percolating and that they have on their mind. These are paid positions. We are seeking high school students and young adults that want to write and be heard. If you know of any writers or editors that want a place to air their views then please give them my email.
I want to thank all those that support the oldest Jewish newspaper in America whether through a subscription or through buying advertisements. We appreciate your support and honor you by honoring us for supporting the oldest Jewish newspaper in America. Please keep supporting your local Jewish newspaper.
This has been a very tough week for me as I write this. The year is ending and it seems that people and pets are leaving us right before the new year begins. I suppose it is all part of G-d’s plan. My faithful companion, my hiking buddy, my porch sitting buddy and my most cherished friend, Corky has passed away. Corky in his later years became blind and disoriented but he still loved licking my face and giving me a tail wag to let me know he loved me. It is with a very heavy heart that I say so long old friend and that I hope you are no longer in any pain. I miss you every day and it brings a grown man to tears to think of you not being in my life anymore.
I also want to thank my love, Stephanie. She supports me in everything I do and in every which way. Through thick and thin and then thick again I rely on her to be there and help me take on the toughest job of all, life. Thank you Stephanie.
And finally, I want to wish all of you a happy new year. May we all have a year of good life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and may we all find and have all of these ideals this year. L’Shana Tovah.
Netanel ‘Ted’ Deutsch
Publisher