Since Oct. 7, Jewish media outlets have skyrocketed in popularity. Comparing website traffic in November 2023 against November 2022, we here at The Canadian Jewish News saw visitors nearly double. What’s more—those new heights have held strong ever since.
It’s a bittersweet byproduct of Israel’s war with Hamas, and the subsequent spikes in antisemitism worldwide, which has captivated and unified Jewish communities around the globe in solidarity with the Jewish State. But the flip side to this heightened engagement—and more emotionally intense reporting—has been taxing for journalists. And while web traffic is nice, it doesn’t solve the fundamental financial problems inherent to the media industry writ large.
Laura E. Adkins, the opinion editor of The Forward, recently resigned her position to join Jewish Women International, in part moved by the impacts of Oct. 7 on Jewish women and girls and the denials of Israeli women being sexually assaulted. She joins to discuss the future of Jewish media as she sees it—and also chat about one of her most recent articles, covering the sexual assault scandal surrounding prominent Jewish leader Rabbi Art Green.
What we talked about
- Subscribe to Laura E. Adkins’s Substack
- Read Laura’s piece in the Forward, “A beloved rabbi committed sexual misconduct. Here’s why the reckoning needs to be public“
Credits
Bonjour Chai is hosted by Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy. Zachary Kauffman is the producer and editor. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Socalled. The show is a co-production from The Jewish Learning Lab and The CJN, and is distributed by The CJN Podcast Network. Support the show by subscribing to this podcast, donating to The CJN and subscribing to the podcast’s Substack.
