| Note from the Publisher |  |
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Securing a Jewish voice in Asia
Jewish Times Asia celebrated its fourth year anniversary with the publication of the April 2010 issue. The title still has a long way to go to be fully 'accepted' amongst other Jewish newspapers around the globe. The more established Jewish community papers, around the world, have been household names for centuries.
Jewish Times Asia is quite new as far as Jewish news titles are concerned. This is surprising, however, considering the age of many of these communities. Hong Kong's Ohel Leah Synagogue, for example, has been in existence for over 100 years. With no previous titles in existence or points of comparison, Mr. Philip Jay, Publisher and Founder had a vision to try to create something from scratch. Keeping with a specific objective and style for the paper, he wanted to provide local Jewish news content not only to the local residents but more significantly to thousands of Jewish business travelers and vacationers that come into Asia. The paper also covers international news, business, a spotlight on a local Jewish community, spirituality and many other topical themes. "People are generally surprised that we have synagogues, kosher restaurants, shops and centres for Jewish life in Asia. Most of these developments have been very recent. As Asia takes an increasingly more central role in the world economy, communities continue to spring up. By stroke of good fortune, this was the time for this paper to emerge. There is now a newspaper highlighting community life past and present in Asia." comments Philip Jay. Currently the paper is a monthly tabloid but it has the capacity to eventually become weekly which is the norm amongst the major newspapers. Jewish Times Asia is very unique in its editorial independence. It reports on all the Jewish communities in the region and maintains a balanced and unbiased outlook, recognising each group's contribution to Jewish life in Asia. It is clear that Asia has a very diverse and mixed spiritual community, ranging from the Progressive to the ultra-Orthodox. The newspaper is distributed free throughout Asia to Jewish residents and to all the community centres. As all media companies, old and newly established, create more value added distribution channels, Jewish Times Asia is now available to the global Jewish community as it recently launched its website: jewishtimesasia.org. Now everybody can keep in touch with Jewish news in Asia around the world and around the clock. Although located in Hong Kong, the title has the capacity to travel the world. With the rapid growth of Jewish life in Asia, the publication can continue to strive and grow to meet its needs. "We truly see ourselves as a paper that reports on the community and belongs to the community. I am excited to be in the business of Jewish news and glad to be there to watch us grow and develop as a community united by our history, our faith and our connection to Israel." |
