The Jerusalem Post
Encyclopedia
The Jerusalem Post is an Israel
i daily English-language broadsheet
newspaper
, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron
as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers (tens of thousands) do not approach those of the major Hebrew
newspapers.
While it was once regarded as left-wing, the paper underwent a noticeable shift to the right in the late 1980s. After 2004, under the editorial leadership of David Horovitz, a non-partisan, more inclusive editorial line was fostered. Today the Post features columns and opinion articles spanning the political spectrum.
The Palestine Post was founded on December 1, 1932 by American journalist-turned-newspaper-editor, Gershon Agron
in the British Mandate of Palestine. During its time as The Palestine Post, the publication supported the struggle for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and openly opposed British policy restricting Jewish immigration
during the Mandate period.
According to the Historical Jewish Press, The Palestine Post was established "as part of a Zionist
-Jewish initiative", and "Zionist institutions considered the newspaper one of the most effective means of exerting influence on the British authorities".
On the evening of February 1, 1948, a stolen British police car loaded with half a ton of TNT pulled up in front of the Jerusalem office of the Palestine Post. The driver of a second car arrived a few minutes later, lit the fuse and drove off. The building also contained other newspaper offices, the British press censor, the Jewish settlement police, and a Haganah
post with a cache of weapons. Arab leader Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni
claimed responsibility for the bombing, but historian Uri Milstein reported that the bomb had been prepared by the Nazi-trained Fawzi el-Kutub, known as "the engineer" , and that two British army deserters were also involved, Cpl. Peter Mersden and Capt. Eddie Brown. Three persons died later, one newspaper typesetter and two people who lived in a nearby block of flats. Dozens of others were injured and the printing press was destroyed. The morning paper came out in a reduced format of two pages, printed up at a small print shop nearby.
In 1950, two years after the State of Israel was declared
, the paper was renamed The Jerusalem Post.
A number of journalists resigned from the Post after Conrad Black
's takeover and founded The Jerusalem Report
, a weekly magazine eventually sold to the Post. The leader of the walkout was David Landau
, who founded Haaretz English Edition and went on to become editor-in-chief of Haaretz
until 2009.
On November 16, 2004, Hollinger sold the paper to Mirkaei Tikshoret Ltd., a Tel Aviv
-based publisher of Israeli newspapers. CanWest Global Communications
, Canada's biggest media concern, had announced an agreement to take a 50 percent stake in the Jerusalem Post after Mirkaei bought the property, but the deal soured. The two sides went to arbitration, and CanWest lost.
says "The Jerusalem Post’s stance has swung back and forth." Left-wing and right-wing columns are often featured on the editorial pages. It espouses economic positions close to those of libertarianism
: tight fiscal control on public spending, curbing of welfare, cutting taxes, and anti-union
monopoly legislation, among others. The paper competes with Haaretz
newspaper, which began publishing an English language edition in the 1990s
as an insert to the International Herald Tribune
. In summer '11 the paper fired its outspoken columnist Larry Derfner for a controversial post in his personal blog that irritated some of the paper's right-wing readers. The dismissal was criticized by many, most notably former Editor-in-Chief Jeff Barak.
) and Jewish religious holidays
. The current Editor-In-Chief is Steve Linde, who took over from David Horovitz
in 2011. The paper hosts a number of regular opinion columnists who provide insights on particular subjects such as religion, foreign affairs and economics. The paper's current Managing Editor is David Brinn, its News Editor is Ilan Evyatar and Night Editor is Jonathan Beck.
The paper also publishes editions geared for the foreign market—a Christian edition, a French-language edition and an international edition—as well as several newspapers for children and teenagers. In 2007, it inaugurated a Hebrew-only business daily called The Business Post. There is also a section on Iran
called "Iranian Threat'.
In January, 2008, the paper announced a new partnership with The Wall Street Journal, including joint marketing and exclusive publication in Israel of The Wall Street Journal Europe
.
Some of the material in The Jerusalem Post is translated and included in the free Hebrew daily Israel Post
, which is co-owned by Eli Azur, who owns a controlling stake in The Jerusalem Post.
The Jerusalem Post also publishes a monthly magazine titled Ivrit. Its target audience is people learning Hebrew language
and it is described as "an easy-Hebrew" publication, meant for improving basic Hebrew reading skills. It uses vowel notation system to make comprehension of the alephbet abjad
simpler.
, where articles can be purchased. Free blurbs of the article are available as well, and full articles are available when linked to directly from navigation within JPost.com or from a search engine.
A French language
version of the newspaper is also published online at fr.jpost.com.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i daily English-language broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron
Gershon Agron
Gershon Agron was an Israeli newspaper editor and mayor of Jerusalem in 1955-1959.-Biography:Gershon Agron was born in the Ukraine and emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five. He grew up in Philadelphia. During World War I, he fought with the Jewish Legion in Palestine...
as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers (tens of thousands) do not approach those of the major Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
newspapers.
While it was once regarded as left-wing, the paper underwent a noticeable shift to the right in the late 1980s. After 2004, under the editorial leadership of David Horovitz, a non-partisan, more inclusive editorial line was fostered. Today the Post features columns and opinion articles spanning the political spectrum.
History
Gershon Agron
Gershon Agron was an Israeli newspaper editor and mayor of Jerusalem in 1955-1959.-Biography:Gershon Agron was born in the Ukraine and emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five. He grew up in Philadelphia. During World War I, he fought with the Jewish Legion in Palestine...
in the British Mandate of Palestine. During its time as The Palestine Post, the publication supported the struggle for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and openly opposed British policy restricting Jewish immigration
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
during the Mandate period.
According to the Historical Jewish Press, The Palestine Post was established "as part of a Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
-Jewish initiative", and "Zionist institutions considered the newspaper one of the most effective means of exerting influence on the British authorities".
On the evening of February 1, 1948, a stolen British police car loaded with half a ton of TNT pulled up in front of the Jerusalem office of the Palestine Post. The driver of a second car arrived a few minutes later, lit the fuse and drove off. The building also contained other newspaper offices, the British press censor, the Jewish settlement police, and a Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
post with a cache of weapons. Arab leader Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni
Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni
Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and fighter who in late 1933 founded the secret militant group known as the Organization for Holy Struggle, , which he and Hasan Salama commanded as the Army of the Holy War during the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt and during the 1948...
claimed responsibility for the bombing, but historian Uri Milstein reported that the bomb had been prepared by the Nazi-trained Fawzi el-Kutub, known as "the engineer" , and that two British army deserters were also involved, Cpl. Peter Mersden and Capt. Eddie Brown. Three persons died later, one newspaper typesetter and two people who lived in a nearby block of flats. Dozens of others were injured and the printing press was destroyed. The morning paper came out in a reduced format of two pages, printed up at a small print shop nearby.
In 1950, two years after the State of Israel was declared
Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel
The Israeli Declaration of Independence , made on 14 May 1948 , the day before the British Mandate was due to expire, was the announcement by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, that the new Jewish state named the...
, the paper was renamed The Jerusalem Post.
Ownership changes
Until 1989 the paper supported the forerunners of the Labor Party. In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc.Hollinger Inc.
Hollinger Inc. was a Canadian media company based in Toronto. It was created by the Canadian businessman Conrad Black as a holding company for his media interests after he acquired control of The Daily Telegraph in 1986. It was the parent company of Chicago-based Hollinger International, whose...
A number of journalists resigned from the Post after Conrad Black
Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour, OC, KCSG, PC is a Canadian-born member of the British House of Lords, and a historian, columnist and publisher, who was for a time the third largest newspaper magnate in the world. Lord Black controlled Hollinger International, Inc...
's takeover and founded The Jerusalem Report
The Jerusalem Report
The Jerusalem Report is a biweekly print and online newsmagazine that covers political and social issues in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world...
, a weekly magazine eventually sold to the Post. The leader of the walkout was David Landau
David Landau (journalist)
David Landau is a London-born Israeli journalist and newspaper editor. Landau was editor-in-chief of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from 2004 to 2008. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of the paper's English edition from 1997 to 2004...
, who founded Haaretz English Edition and went on to become editor-in-chief of Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
until 2009.
On November 16, 2004, Hollinger sold the paper to Mirkaei Tikshoret Ltd., a Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
-based publisher of Israeli newspapers. CanWest Global Communications
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
, Canada's biggest media concern, had announced an agreement to take a 50 percent stake in the Jerusalem Post after Mirkaei bought the property, but the deal soured. The two sides went to arbitration, and CanWest lost.
Political orientation
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
says "The Jerusalem Post’s stance has swung back and forth." Left-wing and right-wing columns are often featured on the editorial pages. It espouses economic positions close to those of libertarianism
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
: tight fiscal control on public spending, curbing of welfare, cutting taxes, and anti-union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
monopoly legislation, among others. The paper competes with Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
newspaper, which began publishing an English language edition in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
as an insert to the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
. In summer '11 the paper fired its outspoken columnist Larry Derfner for a controversial post in his personal blog that irritated some of the paper's right-wing readers. The dismissal was criticized by many, most notably former Editor-in-Chief Jeff Barak.
Today
The Jerusalem Post is published from Sunday to Friday, with no edition appearing on Saturday (the Jewish SabbathShabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
) and Jewish religious holidays
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays are days observed by Jews as holy or secular commemorations of important events in Jewish history. In Hebrew, Jewish holidays and festivals, depending on their nature, may be called yom tov or chag or ta'anit...
. The current Editor-In-Chief is Steve Linde, who took over from David Horovitz
David Horovitz
David Horovitz is an Israeli journalist, author and speaker, formerly the Editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.-Biography:...
in 2011. The paper hosts a number of regular opinion columnists who provide insights on particular subjects such as religion, foreign affairs and economics. The paper's current Managing Editor is David Brinn, its News Editor is Ilan Evyatar and Night Editor is Jonathan Beck.
The paper also publishes editions geared for the foreign market—a Christian edition, a French-language edition and an international edition—as well as several newspapers for children and teenagers. In 2007, it inaugurated a Hebrew-only business daily called The Business Post. There is also a section on Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
called "Iranian Threat'.
In January, 2008, the paper announced a new partnership with The Wall Street Journal, including joint marketing and exclusive publication in Israel of The Wall Street Journal Europe
The Wall Street Journal Europe
The Wall Street Journal Europe is a daily English-language newspaper that covers global and regional business news for Europe, the Middle East and Africa...
.
Some of the material in The Jerusalem Post is translated and included in the free Hebrew daily Israel Post
Israel Post
Israel Post , originally Metro Israel, is an Israeli Hebrew-language free daily newspaper based on the concept of the Metro newspapers. Co-owned by Eli Azur and David Weisman, it was first published on August 5, 2007...
, which is co-owned by Eli Azur, who owns a controlling stake in The Jerusalem Post.
The Jerusalem Post also publishes a monthly magazine titled Ivrit. Its target audience is people learning Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and it is described as "an easy-Hebrew" publication, meant for improving basic Hebrew reading skills. It uses vowel notation system to make comprehension of the alephbet abjad
Abjad
An abjad is a type of writing system in which each symbol always or usually stands for a consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate vowel....
simpler.
JPost.com
The Jerusalem Post also publishes an online edition found at, and colloquially referred to as, Jpost.com. The site contains archives that go back to 1989, and the default search on the site sends users to archive listings, powered by ProQuestProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based electronic publisher and microfilm publisher.It provides archives of sources such as newspapers, periodicals, dissertations, and aggregated databases of many types. Its content is estimated at 125 billion digital pages...
, where articles can be purchased. Free blurbs of the article are available as well, and full articles are available when linked to directly from navigation within JPost.com or from a search engine.
A French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version of the newspaper is also published online at fr.jpost.com.
Notable journalists and writers
- Bernard AvishaiBernard AvishaiBernard Avishai, Contributing Editor of Harvard Business Review, splits his time between Jerusalem and Wilmot, New Hampshire. He has taught at Duke, MIT, and was director of the Zell Entrepreneurship Program at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel. From 1998 to 2001 he was International...
- Alon Ben-Meir
- Shmuley BoteachShmuley BoteachShmuel "Shmuley" Boteach is an American Orthodox rabbi, author, TV host and public speaker.Among other books, Boteach wrote Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, published in 1999, which openly discusses intimacy and sexual intercourse...
- Caroline B. Glick
- Amotz Asa-ElAmotz Asa-ElAmotz Asa-El, the former Executive Editor of the Jerusalem Post, is an Israeli journalist and media developer. He is the Jerusalem Post's senior columnist, a staff columnist for the Wall Street Journal/MarketWatch, and a leading commentator on Israeli, Middle Eastern and Jewish affairs.Having...
- Emanuel FeldmanEmanuel FeldmanEmanuel Feldman is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Jacob of Atlanta, Georgia. During his nearly 40 years as a congregational rabbi, he nurtured the growth of the Orthodox community in Atlanta from a community small enough to support two small synagogues to a...
- Gidi GrinsteinGidi GrinsteinGidi Grinstein is the President and Founder of the , a non-partisan, non-profit strategy group that aims to sustain significant and substantive impact on Israel and the Jewish World under the banner of 21st Century Zionism...
- Ray HananiaRay HananiaRay Hanania is an Arab-American Palestinian Christian journalist also known for his stand-up comedy. Hanania writes a syndicated column with a particular focus on the Middle East, and after the September 11 attacks, created Comedians of Middle East conflict, a comedy act with the hope of defusing...
- Sarah HonigSarah HonigSarah Honig is an Israeli journalist and opinion columnist.Honig was born in Israel and reared in both Israel and the United States. She was educated at the High School of Music and Art in New York City and at Tel Aviv University....
- Herb KeinonHerb KeinonHerb Keinon is a long-time journalist and columnist for The Jerusalem Post. Keinon is originally from Denver, has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the...
- Martin KramerMartin KramerMartin Seth Kramer is an American scholar of the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Shalem Center. His focus is on Islam and Arab politics.-Education:...
- Amir MizrochAmir MizrochAmir Mizroch is an Israeli journalist currently the editor of the English Newsletter Edition of Israel Hayom, Israel's most widely circulated daily newspaper. He was formerly the Executive Editor and News Editor of The Jerusalem Post newspaper...
- Yariv Oppenheimer
- Oren Kessler
- Shlomo RiskinShlomo RiskinShlomo Riskin is the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 12 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the West Bank; dean of Manhattan Day School in New York City; and founder and dean of the Ohr Torah Stone...
- Jonathan RosenblumJonathan RosenblumJonathan Rosenblum is the director, spokesperson, and founder of Jewish Media Resources, an organization which attempts to clarify journalists' understanding of Haredi Jewish society.- Career :...
- Khaled Abu ToamehKhaled Abu ToamehKhaled Abu Toameh is a Israeli Arab journalist and documentary filmmaker. Abu Toameh is the West Bank and Gaza correspondent for the Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, and has been the Palestinian affairs producer for NBC News since 1988...
- Gil TroyGil TroyGil Troy is an American academic. Troy is Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal and a Visiting Scholar affiliated with the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington....
- Ehud YaariEhud YaariEhud Ya'ari is an Israeli journalist, author, television personality and political commentator.-Biography:Ehud Ya'ari was born in 1945. He was married to Hava Ya'ari. They divorced after she was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder....
Editors
- Steve Linde (2011-present)
- David HorovitzDavid HorovitzDavid Horovitz is an Israeli journalist, author and speaker, formerly the Editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.-Biography:...
(2004–2011) - Bret StephensBret StephensBret Louis Stephens is the foreign-affairs columnist of the Wall Street Journal and deputy editorial page editor, responsible for the editorial pages of the Journals European and Asian editions...
(2002–2004) - Jeff Barak (2000–2002)
- Carl Schrag (2000)
- David MakovskyDavid MakovskyDavid Makovsky, born June 21, 1960, is the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Project on the Middle East Peace Process.In addition, he is an adjunct lecturer at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H...
(1999–2000) - Jeff Barak (1996–1999)
- David Bar-IllanDavid Bar-IllanDavid Bar-Illan was an internationally acclaimed pianist, author and columnist. Bar-Illan also served as Executive Editor of the Jerusalem Post, Israel's leading English-language newspaper, before becoming Director of Communications & Policy Planning for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...
(1992–1996) - N. David Gross (1990–1992)
- Ari RathAri RathAri Rath is an Austrian-Israeli journalist and writer.Rath was born in Vienna grew up there. After the Anschluss he came through a Kindertransport as a thirteen-year-old boy to Palestine. As one of the foeunders of the kibbutz Hamadia he lived there for 16 years and studied contemporary history...
and Erwin Frenkel (1975–1989) - Lea Ben Dor (1974–1975)
- Ted Lurie (1955–1975)
- Gershon AgronGershon AgronGershon Agron was an Israeli newspaper editor and mayor of Jerusalem in 1955-1959.-Biography:Gershon Agron was born in the Ukraine and emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five. He grew up in Philadelphia. During World War I, he fought with the Jewish Legion in Palestine...
(1932–1955)
See also
- Sarah HonigSarah HonigSarah Honig is an Israeli journalist and opinion columnist.Honig was born in Israel and reared in both Israel and the United States. She was educated at the High School of Music and Art in New York City and at Tel Aviv University....
- Amotz Asa-ElAmotz Asa-ElAmotz Asa-El, the former Executive Editor of the Jerusalem Post, is an Israeli journalist and media developer. He is the Jerusalem Post's senior columnist, a staff columnist for the Wall Street Journal/MarketWatch, and a leading commentator on Israeli, Middle Eastern and Jewish affairs.Having...
- Herb KeinonHerb KeinonHerb Keinon is a long-time journalist and columnist for The Jerusalem Post. Keinon is originally from Denver, has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the...
- Amir MizrochAmir MizrochAmir Mizroch is an Israeli journalist currently the editor of the English Newsletter Edition of Israel Hayom, Israel's most widely circulated daily newspaper. He was formerly the Executive Editor and News Editor of The Jerusalem Post newspaper...
- Haviv RettigHaviv RettigHaviv Rettig Gur was an Israeli-American journalist and the Jewish world correspondent for the Israeli English-language daily The Jerusalem Post until June 2010, when he was appointed spokesman of the Jewish Agency...
- Khaled Abu ToamehKhaled Abu ToamehKhaled Abu Toameh is a Israeli Arab journalist and documentary filmmaker. Abu Toameh is the West Bank and Gaza correspondent for the Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, and has been the Palestinian affairs producer for NBC News since 1988...
External links
- Jerusalem Post – Internet Edition
- Jerusalem Post – French Edition
- Palestine Post – complete searchable contents 1932–1950
- JPostPedia