Transparent, trusted and true: a message from the Jewish News
Chairman of The Jacob Foundation, Robert Gibber, on importance of keeping the Jewish community connected by maintaining a viable, trusted and accountable voice
Dear Jewish News reader
Recent events at the Jewish Chronicle have highlighted the importance of transparency in ownership of community news and media. The Jacob Foundation, a registered charity with independent trustees drawn from the worlds of law, finance, media and interfaith, is the proud owner of the Jewish News.
The objectives of the Jacob Foundation are to promote cohesion within the Jewish community, between the Jewish community and other communities in the UK and to support the vital work of the many Jewish charities and other institutions.
We do this by supporting the excellent work of the Jewish News which we see as a critical piece of community infrastructure. Particularly at times like these, our community needs and deserves a reliable and dependable source of news, reporting on issues which concern us all as British Jews. The Jewish News also promotes community projects and seeks to advocate in a balanced way for British Jews whenever it has the opportunity.
I personally became involved in Jewish media around five years ago, as one of a group of people who recognised the unique opportunity to merge the Jewish News and Jewish Chronicle for the benefit of the community. We wanted to create a single, proud, diverse voice, reflecting the rich cultural life and interests of our vibrant Jewish community. For reasons that have been covered elsewhere, that merger did not succeed, and new ownership, still undeclared, took control of the Jewish Chronicle.
The Jacob Foundation, a registered charity with independent trustees drawn from the worlds of law, finance, media and interfaith, is the proud owner of the Jewish News.
Since then, we have been incredibly fortunate that a lot of the donors who stood ready to support the merger process have stayed with us and continue to provide incredibly generous support through their donations. Running local and community media is a challenging space and the Jewish News requires considerable financial support to continue its work. We are constantly inspired by the generosity of our donors, who include many charitable foundations, and are always keen to welcome new supporters.
You may remember the very successful crowdfunding campaign we ran a year ago, bringing in hundreds of new donors and raising more than £150,000.
I and my fellow trustees, supported by co-publishers Richard Ferrer, Justin Cohen and their amazing team, are all deeply committed to the importance of keeping us all connected by maintaining a viable, trusted and accountable voice to inform, inspire and celebrate our vibrant and rich community.
Connection is at the heart of all that we do, whether you are one of the thousands who read the newspaper, the hundreds of thousands who view the stories on our website every week, or one of the millions who view content produced by the Jewish News team on social media every month.
We accept that we may not always get it right and that it is not possible to please everyone all the time, but our objectives, ownership and identities are transparent and available to all.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to write to me directly through the editor’s office at the Jewish News.
Thank you for your continued support for the Jewish News.
Robert Gibber
Chairman
The Jacob Foundation
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
