Praise for the services of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and for the role which it plays as a link between the Jews the world in the present time of Nazi oppression and war is voiced in all leading Jewish and Anglo-Jewish newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, in special articles published this week on the occasion of the JTA’s 25th anniversary.
The Jewish Daily Forward and the Jewish Day, the two leading Jewish newspapers in America, in their articles point to the progress which the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has made during the 25 years of its existence and cite the value of its news service both to the press and the Jewish community. “When the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was established in February, 1917, none could foretell the important role which this Jewish news agency would play in our present difficult times, when it is so essential to keep the world informed about the endless Jewish troubles,” Mr. B. Meiman writes in today’s issue of the Forward. He stresses the fact that the news of Jewish life and anti-Jewish persecutions in the ghettos of today “would no doubt have remained unknown to the wide world if not for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency which has the interest and the necessary machinery to bring this special Jewish news to public attention.”
JTA “KEEPS AN EYE ON THE MILLIONS OF SUFFERING JEWS,” SAYS “THE DAY”
The Day, in a special article, points out that the JTA is the institution which today “keeps an eye on the millions of Jews who are suffering under the Nazi boot.” It compares the present anti-Jewish persecutions with the Petlura pogroms during the last World War, and stresses the difference between the situation then when the world was practically unaware of the horrible massacres of Jews under Petlura because there was no Jewish news agency to report them, and the present when there is a JTA to report all the anti-Jewish atrocities which the Nazis commit in the Reich and in the occupied territories. The article also lauds the services which the JTA performs for Jewish organizations in America by keeping them informed on all phases of Jewish life throughout the world.
The Jewish Daily Eagle, in Montreal, points out in an editorial that “with the establishment of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency the existence of the Jewish press received particular justification since Jewish newspapers were enabled to bring special Jewish news which the reader could not find in the general press.”
COMPARISON DRAWN BETWEEN JTA AND OTHER NEWS AGENCIES
The Hebrew Journal, a Jewish daily newspaper in Toronto, emphasizing the role which the JTA plays in Jewish life, says editorially: “It is true that there are many news agencies, and large ones, in existence. They supply the newspapers with news hourly. But this is not Jewish news. Let us be frank – the general press pays attention to Jewish news only when it is of a sensational nature. The Jewish people cannot live on sensations.” The editorial then points out that “the JTA, despite all difficulties, has fulfilled its mission by always standing on guard” for Jewish interests.
The Jewish Record, St. Louis, writes in an editorial that “if the world were not now involved in war, many Jewish communities in various countries would have, no doubt, seen fit to celebrate the JTA anniversary in a demonstrative way since the JTA is instrumental in bringing the needs of one Jewish community to the attention of the others.” The Jewish Daily Courier in Chicago publishes an article on the JTA lauding its many-sided services for the Jews all over the world.
The National Jewish Ledger, Washington, says editorially that “the manifold significance of the JTA during this critical period cannot be over-emphasized.” A similar opinion is expressed in editorials published in The Jewish Times, Philadelphia; Jewish Ledger, Albany, N.Y.; Jewish Ledger, Syracuse, N.Y.; and the Jewish Ledger of Rochester, N.Y.
JTA SAFEGUARDS NAME AND HONOR OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
The Jewish Review and Observer, Cleveland, in an editorial praising the JTA news service, points out that “unlike any other news agency, the JTA has been going out of its way throughout the world and in the Americas to safeguard the name and honor of the Jewish people. It has gone about, earnestly and often grimly, checking on libels and false reports intended to place the Jews in an evil light. It has dedicated itself to the task of rounding out the existence of the Jew himself by making available to him the current events of his own history.” The Chicago Jewish Chronicle declares that the JTA “is a recognized force in the life of the Jews the world over.” The Aufbau carries an editorial saying that “the JTA is much more than a mere news agency. It is an institution of the Jewish people.”
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.
