Transparent, trusted and true: a message from the Jewish News

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