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The ''Jewish News'' is a free
weekly newspaper Weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspap ...
, established in 1997, that serves the Jewish communities of Greater London – specifically Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Essex. In 2002, it won the ''
Press Gazette ''Press Gazette'', formerly known as ''UK Press Gazette'' (UKPG), is a British trade magazine dedicated to journalism and the press. First published in 1965, it had a circulation of about 2,500 before becoming online-only in 2013. Published wit ...
'' free newspaper of the year. In February 2020, it announced plans to merge with ''
The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...
''. In April 2020, it announced that it would enter voluntary liquidation, alongside ''The Jewish Chronicle'', preparatory to a combined rescue plan, but following a bid emerging for ''The Jewish Chronicle'', announced that it would continue as an independent publication. In Autumn 2020, the newspaper's ownership was transferred to the Independent Jewish Community News Foundation.


Operations

The ''Jewish News'' is published in
tabloid format A tabloid is a newspaper format characterized by its compact size, smaller than a broadsheet. The term originates from the 19th century, when the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Co. used the term to describe compres ...
and distributed free of charge. Published every Thursday, the paper provides a weekly mix of local, national and international Jewish news, opinions, features, sport and entertainment. With a weekly distribution of 24,518 copies as audited by
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
for the period July to December 2016, the paper is the largest Jewish Newspaper in the UK by distribution. It is available at more than 230 points across the capital including synagogues, shops, schools, community centres and street stands, and it had reached its 1,100th edition. It is currently under the editorship of former ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'' journalist and ''
The Jewish Advocate ''The Jewish Advocate'' was a weekly Jewish newspaper serving Greater Boston and the New England area. It was established in 1902 and, with 118 years of publication, was the oldest continuously-circulated English-language Jewish newspaper in th ...
'' editor Richard Ferrer. In February 2020, the ''Jewish News'', owned by property investor Leo Noe, and ''Jewish Chronicle'', owned by the Kessler Foundation, announced plans to merge, subject to raising the necessary finance to support the merger. Combined, they print more than 40,000 copies weekly. In April 2020, ''The Jewish Chronicle'' and ''Jewish News'' announced simultaneously a creditors voluntary liquidation, citing the impact of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. The owners of ''The Jewish Chronicle'' then submitted a bid to the liquidators for its assets, intending to combine them with the ''Jewish News'' under the latter's editor. However, following the emergence of a rival bid for ''The Jewish Chronicle'', ''The Jewish News'' announced that it had sufficient funds to operate as a going concern and would continue to be published. In November 2020, it was announced that the newspaper was donated to the Independent Jewish Community News Foundation, the rebranding of an existing charity. The announcement said that the move "will see a seamless continuation of the editorial direction under the leadership of editor Richard Ferrer and news editor Justin Cohen, who also serve as co-publishers." According to the paper's website, since this time it was owned by the Jacob Foundation, formerly the Kessler Foundation. The Foundation's 2020 report described the Foundation's sale of the ''Chronicle'', dispersal of funds to Jewish charities, and taking ownership of ''Jewish News'':
The Foundation supported this ambition as a means to ensure that the British Jewish community could continue to rely on the Jewish News to provide high quality news and information for the Community, reflective of the broad range of views across that community, with balance as well as complete transparency and freedom from individual influence. Financial commitments from around a dozen donors from across the community who shared that vision, including the previous owners of the Jewish News, were obtained and agreements for the transfer of the newspaper and its associated website were completed in October 2020. At around the same time, the name of the Foundation was changed from The Kessler Foundation to The Jacob Foundation. This change signified the end of the near 40-year relationship between the Foundation, the Jewish Chronicle and the Kessler family.


Controversies

In February 2018, ''Jewish News'' lost a libel case brought by Baroness Warsi over allegations that she has sought to excuse the actions of
Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
terrorists. The article, written by
Richard Kemp Richard Justin Kemp (born 14 April 1959) is a retired British Army officer who served from 1977 to 2006. Kemp was an infantry battalion commanding officer. Among his assignments were the command of Operation Fingal in Afghanistan from July to ...
, also claimed she had objected to action being taken against British Muslims who murder and rape for the group, which Warsi said was "untrue and offensive". ''Jewish News'' accepted that the article was false: it apologised and was ordered to pay damages of £20,000 and legal costs.


Israel policy conference

In June 2015, ''Jewish News'' co-organised a UK-Israel Shared Strategic Challenges Conference. Speakers at the day-long event in Parliament included then Israeli deputy prime minister
Silvan Shalom Zion Silvan Shalom (; born 4 August 1958) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud between 1992 and 2015. He held several prominent ministerial positions, including Deputy leaders of Israel#Vice Prime Minister, Vi ...
, Opposition Leader
Isaac Herzog Isaac "Bougie" Herzog (; born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician who has been serving since 2021 as the president of Israel. He is the first president to have been born in Israel after its Declaration of Independence. Son of former Is ...
,
Yesh Atid Yesh Atid (, ) is a centrist political party in Israel. It was founded in 2012 by former TV journalist Yair Lapid, the son of the former Shinui party politician and Israeli Justice Minister Tommy Lapid. In 2013 the first election it conte ...
leader
Yair Lapid Yair Lapid ( ; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician of the centrist Yesh Atid party and a former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition (Israel), Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in t ...
as well as UK Middle East Minister
Tobias Ellwood Lieutenant Colonel Tobias Martin Ellwood (born 12 August 1966) is a former British Conservative Party politician and soldier who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bournemouth East from 2005 to 2024. He chaired the Defence Select ...
and Charles Farr, the Home Office's counter terrorism chief.


See also

* ''
Hamodia ''Hamodia'' ( – "''the Informer''") is a Jewish daily newspaper, published in Hebrew language, Hebrew-language in Jerusalem and English language, English-language in the United States, as well as weekly English-language editions in England and I ...
'' * ''
The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...
'' * ''Jewish Tribune'' (UK) * ''
The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist Dav ...
''


References


External links

* {{British Jewry Jewish newspapers published in the United Kingdom Newspapers established in 1997 1997 establishments in England Free newspapers Weekly newspapers published in the United Kingdom