The number of Yiddish-language daily American newspapers was halved today when the Day-Jewish Journal ceased publication. The decision “came suddenly, without any explanations.” city editor Philip Sandler told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
He said he was “shaken” by the decision, adding: “I really cannot comprehend this action.” Publication ceased as of today’s issue. Ted Singer, legal representative for the paper, confirmed its closing but declined to explain the decision.
The newspaper originated in 1914 as the Day. Eighteen years ago it merged with the Jewish Journal. Its current circulation, daily and Sunday, is approximately 43,000. Its closing leaves the 75-year-old Jewish Daily Forward as the country’s only Yiddish-language daily.
Sandler said the Day-Jewish Journal employed 60-75 persons, many of them young. A “past 65” veteran of a dozen years with the paper, he said he was not “worried” for himself by its closing, as “I have a lot of writing to do.” He said he was saddened by the demise of an “institution,” observing: “It was a part of our culture. A part of our body has been cut off.”
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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.
