The good, the bad, and the ugly: Rabbi Moshe Gutnick's letter, NSWKA's ad and the AJN's continuing promotion of non-Kosher products

We were mightily pleased to see a letter to the editor (published in both editions of the AJN *) from Rabbi Moshe Gutnick where he slams them for repeatedly offending observant readers with advertising of treif products. He makes the point that we have oft stated in this blog that no Muslim publication would ever advertise a product that is banned buy their religion,

 

So on behalf of AJNWatch and its readers we wish to publicly thank Reb Moshe with "a groyser Yasher Koach" for his unyielding and uncompromising public stance. We may be wrong, but to the best of our memories, this may be a first for one of our rabbis who is involved in Kashrut matters to so publicly criticise the newspaper. ילמדו וממנו his colleagues in Melbourne and elsewhere to come out and condemn the "organ of Australian Jewry" when they so disgracefully sell out our traditions and religion for a few dollars (actually a commodity which the publisher Robert Magid is not short of.)

We have long suggested that all Jews who are pained seeing Torah values being degraded and tread upon by the AJN should use whatever is in their power to express their disgust. Not only with letters to the editor, but to join the many who already  ban the paper from their homes. After all, why should their family members - especially the young and impressionable be exposed to a "Jewish" publication, advancing chazir treif establishments and products as well as immodest images and articles that border on (and often actual) apikorsut? Add to that the weekly Chazerai and dreckerati reporting on page 2 and one comes to the conclusion that this rag doesn't belong in any decent home - religious or not. 

Thus, seeing how money-hungry the AJN is, to place some pressure on the publishers, there should be - if not a total - then a partial boycott, on advertising therein.

To explain, we do understand that often when having to get a message across to the wider community, an ad in the Hamodia may not be enough. But why, for Heaven's sake, do our Shuls and especially Chabad organizations have to place such HUGE and expensive advertisements in the Jewish News? The message will get through just as well with a smaller insert.

(Talking of which, we must express our dismay at the organizers of the Daf Yomi Siyum for their full-page colour ad in last week's edition of this clearly anti-Torah newspaper. We suggest that they do a quick survey amongst those who are studying the daily Daf and  will realise that not even 10% ever read the AJN.)

Coming back to Rabbi Gutnick's letter, now imagine our shock, after feeling so chuffed at reading the rabbi's criticism, (and to be honest, somewhat surprised that the AJN allowed it through), when a few pages later we see a half-page ad, placed and paid for by non-other than Rabbi Moshe Gutnick's organisation - the NSW Kashrut Authority! (That at least explains why the AJN published his letter. They obviously take the view, "criticise us as much as you like - as long as you continue shovelling thousands of your dollars our way".) This ad is, by the way, is a repeat of the one that the AJN placed side by side with a Treif establishment just a few weeks ago.

 So Reb Moshe, if you are truly upset at the actions of the AJN, the first thing you should be doing is deeply cutting back on your spending with them. You and your fellow Rabbanim, Shuls, schools and Chabad Houses etc.

Here is another full-page ad in the same issue:

 Note the disclaimer at the top of the ad declaring that the "Challah" is not Kosher!

To paraphrase yourself; "Do you think a newspaper serving the Muslim community that advertised pork chops would be receiving paid advertisements from Imams, Mosques or Halal certification authorities?"

Think about it Rabbi. And then place this matter (including the Muslim example) on the agenda of the next meetings of ORA and RCNSW. (And contact your brother, who runs the Melbourne versions of KA and Rabbinical Council, to assist you in bringing an end to this terrible Chillul Hashem.)

As we see from the AJN's recent issue, (despite the fact that it is a plaything for the latest in the long line of Jewish tycoons - who eventually to toss it away after having their few years of fun), the moguls that run it aren't overly happy to keep dipping into their billions to prop it up. They too seem concerned about where the print media in this country is headed. One of the ways that they reassure and comfort themselves is that "only the print version can be read by observant Jews on Shabbat". Not that this stops them from offending and hurting the feelings of this sector of the community.

Robert Magid should watch out. If he wants to have something to handball sooner or later to the next Jewish moneybags he shouldn't be out their upsetting his readers. Remember, young people generally don't buy the AJN anyway, so they definitely have a problem coming. Meanwhile the religious and traditional community is growing in leaps and bounds - and they already have an alternative with the Hamodia  whose circulation continues to grow despite the hefty $6 cover price. Many still buy the AJN as well, but will the next generation be so tolerant to being spat in their faces? We doubt it.

 *Apropos the Letters pages, we notice that the AJN have adopted a new trend in saving money by having identical letters and even editorials in both editions - even when the material may be totally irrelevant in the other city. Eg, Rabbi Gutnick's letter was referring to a ad that only appeared in the Sydney version. What other money-saving ideas can we expect in the near future?

Rabbi Apple - quoting AJNWatch !?

Interesting to see that Rabbi Raymond Apple's column in this week's AJN, seems to be referring to our recent post about purveyors of porn...

Robert Magid: purveyor of soft porn?

If anyone thought that the Jewish News couldn't sink lower than the smutty scribbling of their dreckerati recorder Adam Kamien, (read here, here, here and here) they were in for a real shock when replacement - Bob Meiser - made his appearance last week.

The stench from the unadulterated filth in the page 2 "Shmooze" sewer (which should be renamed "Shmootz") was even worse than the usual pong we have been putting up with. Being that the manure being flung at us weekly is"Jewish" - this cr-p qualifies for a place of 'honour' of the newspaper. Yes, Meiser has quickly proven that he is no slouch when filling in for 'Bilaam's donkey'.

However, what, we ask, was editor Zeddy Lawrence thinking? And more so, the publisher, Robert Magid? Have they lost their marbles? Does Magid really want the world to think that he has no values or shame? Are both these men happy to be purveyors of 'snigger-snigger smut' to the community?

We previously posted about the AJN advertising porn on their website. Obviously they continue to wallow in filth.

While many observant Jews don't allow the rag into their homes for such and similar reasons, there are others who do. Why do they (as well as non-religious/secular readers with any sense of decency) accept being offended time and again when reading such muck at their Friday night dinner tables?

We all know that porn sells. And if Magid and Lawrence are into smut-peddling, it's none of our business. But why "Jewish" porn? Go into the bigger and more lucrative general market and take your well- deserved place amongst hard and soft pornographers. Why the hell must you associate your schweinerei with the Jewish community?

Seriously Mr Magid, aren't you embarrassed before your own family and Jewish cronies? And even more so your associates in the business world? You think that they are impressed when learning that your publication dishes out sniggering toilet-block 'humour' on a weekly scale?

One community leader we discussed this with suggested that maybe Magid will come to his senses if and when he realises that the outside world - especially the media - get wind of the kind of material being featured in his plaything.

We forward his suggestion to our readers. Please go ahead and cut, paste and email this post to all journalists, media representatives etc that you have on your email address list. And if you know of any business associates of Magid, let them read this as well.

Additionally everyone should forward this to rabbis, Shuls, and organisations. Remember, if it upsets you (and we know of many such people), it isn't good enough to kvetch and sigh. Do something about it!

Talking of which,why DO rabbis and orthodox Shuls and indeed all respectable organisations - religious or not - suffer in silence whilst pained by these depravities? Can anyone imagine the reaction if a Christian or Muslim publication - religious in nature or not - allowed the kind of cr-p that Adam Kamien and now his understudy slop out regularly? It is the sacred duty of the spiritual and lay-leadership - and more so organisations like the RCV, ORA, COSV, COSA etc to be expressing their concerns about such matters. They have far more influence and power than has this humble blog. We hear that some weeks ago, Robert Magid had a meeting with Sydney rabbis to resolve a number of issues that had been upsetting them. Why didn't they take the opportunity to express their objections to the appalling and offensive standards of sections of the paper?

Can anyone imaginesimilar filth being published in the mainstream media? The Age, SMH, Herald-Sun, Daily Telegraph? Of course not! They would never get away with treating their readers with the contempt and arrogance that we get from the Jewish News. Even the secular London Jewish Chronicle or the New York Jewish Week, would never sink to such lows. It is only here in Australia that we endure below-zero standards of the Jewish weekly.

Maybe it is time to launch a "Hasbara" campaign towards the AJN's major advertisers - Jewish and non-Jewish - suggesting that they refrain from spending their dollars with this rag until it cleans up its act. Once advertisers realise how much the Jewish News is upsetting large sectors of the community, they may decide that their money could be better utilised.

Such campaigns have worked very successfully elsewhere (most recently the Kyle Sandilands affair) and there is no reason why it wouldn't work here.

Shame on you Robert Magid for lowering AJN standards beyond anything that your predecessors achieved.

Danby upsets the Jewish News

(Apologies for the delay in posting)

We can't remember another occasion where, following criticism, the AJN expended an entire page to justify itself.

Seems that Michael Danby's private mailing to thousands of constituents describing how the newspaper was censoring or totally disregarding matters of importance, really got under the editor's skin. We suspect that AJN Watch's publicising those details didn't endear us to them either and probably the reason they unleashed Zeddy's donkey upon us this week.

But seriously, it is about time that they realised that they no longer have total domination and control on information to (and about) the Jewish community .

We now live in a world of blogs, websites and other alternatives. J-Wire seems to be picking up and becoming a more relevant. Galus Australis seems to be gaining importance. The weekly circulation of the Hamodia is growing constantly (despite the hefty $6 cover price) with much of the increase coming from the 'non-Charedi' and, surprisingly, even 'non-frum' sector. (Well maybe not really surprising, seeing that their coverage of news from Israel and the Jewish world is 3 or 4 times more comprehensive than the couple of pages that the AJN cuts and pastes from internet sites. And may we proudly add that this humble blog too, is getting thousands of hits every month (1500 this past week alone).

That a newspaper can upset so many sectors of the community is some 'achievement'. But it shows that there are deep seated problems and issues which require massive surgery and serious changes in the way the owners and management operate.

Not that we expect them to do anything. The Jewish News will continue to be the (tax loss) plaything of one rich Jew after another. And when current owner realises what little genuine respect and honour this little hobby brings him (and even less influence), you can bet on him handing over this loss-making operation to the next 'gevir' - another prosperous developer or merchant - with more dollars than sense - to take his turn riding the AJN merry-go-round.

Though it isn't a total disaster for the current owner Robert Magid. Zeddy Lawrence in his wisdom (and no doubt valuing his job or maybe even hoping for a raise) made sure to include his boss in his list of the "50 most influential Jews in Australia".

Now that's gotta be worth some of the lost big bucks and headaches that come with owning such a enterprise.

Another, rarely mentioned loudly, advantage of owning the paper is of course the clout his has when a mate or relative gets into financial or personal doo-doo. That's when the fearless voice of the community, becomes totally shtum. Shah shtill. We won't go any further about that matter at this stage, but it is special benefit that most do no have

A to Zeddy...

So the AJN’s latest recruit Zeddy Lawrence has arrived to take on the top job. Presumably he hopes to last longer than the numerous previous occupiers of that chair.

He has an unenviable task trying to increase circulation figures or at least put a stop the ongoing loss of circulation and try to ensure that the paper at least breaks even. The other unpalatable option is for the AJN to continue being a money-losing plaything for one rich Jew after the other.
Who can blame the previous AJN proprietors, who, after having a bit of fun, were relieved to find another ‘sucker’ upon whom to dump a financially (and otherwise) rapidly diminishing asset? All the recent business moguls with delusions of being mini-press barons quickly lost interest. The Kleins, Pratts nor the Adlers. Current owner, property developer Robert Magid will no doubt get sick of holding on to an a money-losing asset.
(But let’s not forget one obvious advantage enjoyed by some of the previous proprietors. Ie, ensuring that despite the efforts of the general media, the AJN carried no reports about certain financial and personal unpleasantness regarding themselves, their friends and/or family members. That must’ve been worth SOMETHING.)
So Zeddy, you have your work cut out for you.

Here’s some advice. Have a good look at who your demographics are. Who in the Jewish community is interested in a Jewish newspaper?

It definitely isn’t those who have lost most of their connections with Jewish values and traditions. There is very little future for the AJN in the reform/progressive/liberal sector. After all many (most?) are probably not halachically Jewish and even less so their children. As for the ‘mainstream’ orthodox, some are probably interested in reading a decent Jewish newspaper. But you will soon come to realise that the future of Jewry in Australia comes from the members of the 'traditionalists’, the modern Orthodox, the Charedim and Chassidim and the hundreds of Baalei Teshuva.
Cater to their needs and the AJN has a chance of survival. Antagonize or ignore them at your own peril.

Zeddy, you may not have heard, but the newspaper Hamodia – whose British edition sells thousands of copies weekly – has also been available locally for the past couple of years. It has built up an fiercely loyal readership of several thousand people who are prepared to pay $6 a week for the pleasure. For this they get 4-5 times as much reading material as in the Jewish News including dozens of pages of world, Jewish and communal news and features. Compare that to the few pages of cut-and-paste stuff served up to the readers of the AJN (most of which they have long ago seen on the net).
Is it any surprise thatyour newspaper is generally considered to have the status of the weekly free suburban throwaways?

The ONLY thing going for the AJN are the “hatches, matches and dispatches” notices. But even that too has changed since the advent of community e-mail news services by a number of Melbourne and Sydney congregations. Their information is available immediately as it happens, rather than waiting until Thursday.
To add to the AJN’s misery, there is a persistent rumor that some enterprising chaps are planning a free email service listing all life-cycle events culled from the Melbourne and Sydney editions of the AJN. No doubt many would avail themselves to this service and pocket a saving of $3.50 per week.

So good-luck Zeddy. You sure need it.

Editor of London Jewish 'throwaway' confirmed as new AJN chief

As we reported on Tuesday, Zeddy Lawrence of London will be taking over the AJN following the dismissal of editor Ashley Browne.

"It can't get worse", seems to be the general commentary in a quick Vox Pop that we conducted on the appointment. (The AJN is welcome to quote.) We sure hope so.

Of course, we'll continue to keep an eye on developments.

Meanwhile we did some research on Lawrence's current newspaper the 'London Jewish News' and we see that it is a free weekly "throwaway" - a la the Leader newspapers here - albeit aiming at the Jewish community. The ENTIRE newspaper (page-by-page) is also available for view on the net. See http://tinyurl.com/kq5ld2 .

Maybe the new editor will convince AJN's publisher to go down that past. Giving the paper away would do wonders for the lousy circulation figures. And of course nobody would ever again complain that they overpaid for it...

After all, the PRW, one of the better sections of the Jewish News is already being distributed free of charge - so why not go the whole way?

Ashley Browne: Was he pushed or was he sacked?

Can anyone make head or tail of this?

Nice to see that the Sunday Age is now following the blog.

Magid: "Thanks for a wonderful job, Ashley. Now bu***r off..."