A discussion by the board of the UJA-Federation of Greater New York concerning its relationship with The New York Jewish Week is being hailed by one of that newspaper’s competitors.
Jerome Lippman, who publishes the Long Island Jewish World, has long criticized the exclusive arrangement under which The Jewish Week is mailed to federation donors.
“There is no question in my mind that the democratic process of the organization is in play right now,” Lippman said following the Dec. 1 federation board meeting.
The meeting drew a larger-than-usual attendance, and at least 20 people spoke on the issue. No consensus emerged, according to those present at the meeting.
No decision was taken by the board. Instead, the top-level management committee will review the issues and make recommendations, which will be voted on by the board next year.
Under review is the arrangement by which the New York federation allocates $825,000 annually to purchase subscriptions from the Jewish Week for the more than 80,000 donors who donate at least $36 to the federation.
The Jewish Week returns its profits to the federation, amounting to $58,000 in 1992, according to Stephen Solender, the federation’s executive vice president. In addition, “they provide a significant amount of free advertising to us on an annual basis,” said Solender.
Critics of the relationship have called for a “level playing field,” under which the federation would give donors a choice of subscriptions to various local Jewish newspapers.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
