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When The Canadian Jewish News launched in 1960, it was as a weekly print newspaper. Over the decades, it covered countless community events and developments, shut down and was reborn, moved from weekly to daily, and expanded beyond the written word.
The CJN’s relaunch, in 2021, took place in an entirely different media landscape — news was instantaneous, and most of it was read on screens or listened to through headphones. The CJN made the most of the immediacy and connection this new world offered: a daily news website and a slate of podcasts ensured that the community was always up-to-date. That didn’t mean that print had lost its purpose or value, and so editorial staff developed a quarterly magazine to ensure that readers who were looking for deep dives and visual storytelling, who wanted to sit down and take their time with reporting and analysis, would still have a venue for doing just that.
When The CJN approached me about reimagining that magazine, it was still in the throes of midpandemic strictures. Our first meetings were held on park benches, and they were to discuss a fascinating challenge: how to make a genuinely contemporary Jewish magazine, one that is steeped in love for our heritage and also clear-eyed about the changing world around us, one that understands tradition and also speaks to younger generations. It was a remarkable chance to think through important questions about the function of journalism and modern life as a Jewish Canadian.
I am thrilled to announce that the next chapter in The CJN’s own story has arrived. This reinvented magazine is born of two years’ reflection and brainstorming, research and design. It was developed by veterans of The CJN, and newcomers like myself. It is our best effort to create an honest, open venue for Jewish Canadians of all persuasions, identities, and experiences to come together to learn from and about each other, and about the wider Jewish diaspora.
We are calling the redesigned magazine Scribe Quarterly — a name that embodies both tradition and the journalistic goals we will be pursuing. We’ll be covering everything from politics to religion, education to food culture. We’re envisioning it as a reader’s guide to the contemporary Jewish world, and we are so excited to be sharing it with you.
Hamutal Dotan
Editor in Chief
Scribe Quarterly
P.S. We always appreciate hearing from readers and hope to begin publishing some of your notes soon. Write to us at [email protected]
Click here for a free subscription and receive future print issues in the mail.
