Letter from the Editor: How San Diego Jewish World is Changing

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO – Beginning January 1^st when I resumed my former position as publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World, we have been taking steps to expand and improve our coverage of the Jewish communities in San Diego, elsewhere in the U.S., Israel, and around the world.

For example, we have been running many more stories provided by Nordot, a Japanese-owned service that permits news organizations all over the world to trade their stories.  That’s why you have been seeing stories on San Diego Jewish World that initially appeared in such outlets as the New York Daily News, Agence France Presse, Reuters, RBC-Ukraine, Tampa Free Press, Euronews, DPA (German Press Agency), ANI (India News International) and the Chicago Tribune.  In return, those news outlets and others have permission to republish news and features that were originated by our publication.

We also have instituted for local readers a brand-new San Diego County Jewish Calendar which gets updated every day.  You’ll find a tab for it on this page and every other page above the San Diego Jewish World masthead.  Just click where it says San Diego County Jewish Calendar and you will see all the listings of which we have been made aware.  If your synagogue or Jewish organization would like its events listed in the calendar, all you have to do is send it to me via my email, sdheritage@cox.net  Non-Jewish organizations with Jewish-themed events may also be listed in the calendar.

You readers are especially meaningful partners in our expansion process.  For one, you can send us your ideas for stories, or even send us stories that you wrote on Jewish topics to be considered for publication.  Very important to us, you can take a free subscription to our publication that will land previews of the top stories in your email box on a daily basis. A subscription sign-up form may be found on this page and on the home page of our publication, www.sdjewishworld.com .  Simply fill in your email, follow the directions to prove you are not a robot, and then look for an email from us to verify that you want the subscription.  And please tell your friends to subscribe too.

As we build circulation, we become increasingly attractive to advertisers, whom we charge an amazingly  low $60 a week fee for interactive ads that are seen in a column alongside every article.  For no extra charge, it can be arranged that when someone clicks on an ad, it will take that reader right to the advertiser’s website.  How was the fee of $60 a week derived?  We base it on a rate of $10 per day, but, in keeping with Jewish tradition,  we do not charge on Shabbat, so instead of $70 per week, it is $60.  If any of you would like to take advantage of our advertising program, please email me at sdheritage@cox.net

What is the purpose of building San Diego Jewish World?  As you can see from our free subscriptions and low advertising rates, it is not to make a huge profit.  Instead, it is because we know that the Jewish community must have its own voice, its own sources of news, and define itself, rather than being defined by others.  While antisemitic content gets passed off as legitimate news in some other media outlets, you can be assured that we will stand ever ready to reflect Jewish communal perspectives.

I hope to be updating you on other improvements to San Diego Jewish World in the weeks and months to come.  But, I think, we can all agree that it has been a busy and productive first month.

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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com