The Jewish Telegraphic Agency at Work

The gathering of Jewish news and its distribution to the Jewish and non-Jewish press take the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to all parts of the world, to all countries where Jewish communities are to be found.

The process of gathering Jewish news is as intricate as the varying political, social, cultural and economic conditions of the communities in which the search is made.

Six offices of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, located in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Jerusalem, and #52 correspondents in the smaller centers are engaged in this task. The search is made and light is flashed—through the modern mediums of communication—not on what is usually termed daily occurrences but also on such events which could not be seen except through the eyes of trained observers. Attention is given to decisions, changes, happenings and situations which directly or indirectly affect the economic, political, cultural and religious situation of the Jewish communities. Attention is also directed to the field of intellectual endeavor and the world of letters where Jews are active. The inter-relation between Jews and Christians, whether it be in the field of economic, political or social life, or whether it is in the field of theology, is traced.

At all the multitudinous happenings in Jewish life, at Parliamentary debates, discussions at the League of Nations, Jewish festivities, tragic episodes, triumphs of the Jewish mind, athletic achievements—in short, at every spot where the Jew touches life and produces some reaction, the J.T.A. is there to record it.

During the fifteen years of its existence, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency may be said to have become part and parcel of the body and soul of present day Jewish history. It has become the “nerves” of the Jewish body, sensing instantly whatever happens to the remote or nearer limbs of the Jewish people, and communicating these sensations ### a flash, so that the whole Jewish people learns instantly what has happened #o its members.

Functions such as these call for an intricate and highly complicated machinery and the highest measure of responsibility.

The discharge of this responsibility necessitates a thorough familiarity with conditions, changing as in a kaleidoscope, a knowledge of languages as diverse as the linguistic families into which humanity is divided. To this task the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has devoted its labors.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency was originally established February, 1917, by Jacob Landau in The Hague, with the help of Jacques Buchenholz, Elias Chanania, Sylvain Birnbaum and Sylvain Russ. It was re-established in 1918 by Jacob Landau.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency in New York and its associated companies in London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw and Jerusalem, are under the direction of Jacob Landau.

Abraham Abrahams is editor of the New York J.T.A. with Aleph Katz and I. Parsky attending to the Yiddish service.

Joseph Leftwich is the London editor, and A. Puniansky is manager of the London office. The Paris office is under the management of A. Herenroth; the Berlin office under M. Wurmbrandt; the Warsaw office under M. Mozes. B. Smolar, who is at present in charge of the work in Palestine, is also travelling European correspondent of the Agency.

HOW THE NEWS IS DISTRIBUTED

The service of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is distributed by cable, radio, telegram and mail, through the six offices functioning in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw and Jerusalem. The service reaches 38 Jewish dailies in Yiddish, Hebrew and the various languages of the countries in which they are published; 91 Jewish weeklies in cities of the world.

In addition to the Jewish newspapers, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reaches, through its arrangements with general news agencies, more than 4,000 newspapers in every part of the world.

The service to the dailies goes over the wire. The service to the various weeklies is rendered in the form of mimeographed Bulletins issued in the language of publication. The head office for receiving and distributing the cable service to the various offices is located in London.

In addition to the cable and telegraphic service, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency maintains a regular feature article service which consists mainly of news letters, complementary information and topical articles written by the local correspondents and special experts.

THE J. T. A. BULLETINS

In addition to the service rendered to the press directly, the J.T.A. offices issue daily bulletins in the language of the country. A daily bulletin is issued by the London office in English, by the Paris office in French, by the Berlin office in German, by the Warsaw office in Polish and Yiddish, and by the Jerusalem office in Hebrew and English. These bulletins are also available to private subscribers who are permitted to use the information only for private purposes.

Many of the outstanding leaders of the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in the respective countries are eager subscribers to these bulletins.