This year, The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle’s 101st, saw change in both the newspaper and in the community. The Chronicle’s goal for 2021 was as it always has been: to inform, educate and serve the community.
As Federation President and CEO Dr. Helene Lotman said, The Chronicle gives Jewish families a place to see the faces and read the stories of the community. Every week, whether it be online or on paper, The Chronicle has covered the Jewish Kansas City.
Supporting and helping continue this epic legacy is an honor and privilege. Although I’ve only been with The Chronicle for a few months, I have come to realize how special, vibrant and kind the Kansas City Jewish community is.
The community here is exceptional. There’s a dedicated Federation, a thriving Jewish day school, a wide variety of synagogues, and a beautiful Jewish Community campus. Families go out of their way to contribute to the community. Each synagogue and Jewish organization extensively supports and builds Jewish Kansas City. This is a special place.
Nobody can sum up 2021 without mentioning it being the second year of the pandemic. Many of us wear masks, keep our distance and have been jabbed in the arm two (or three) times. The community here clearly has been diligent – HBHA reopened, summer camp took place, the White Theatre is back in person, all with precautions in place. Synagogues adapted to the craziness for holiday and Shabbat services, and a lot of in-person programming is safely restarting.
During all that, quite a bit of change occurred at The Chronicle – mainly, the switch to hybrid print/digital format. We are very proud of our print edition, and it can now consist largely of community news, local reporting and storytelling. The email newsletter and our digital content are also a source of pride, and they are edited to the same standards as our print edition before being delivered straight to your inbox.
The Chronicle’s editorial and layout team consists of Assistant Editor Lacey Storer and me, with input from Derek Gale, chief operating officer of the Federation. We’re a small group, but because of Lacey, Derek, and the readers and contributors to The Chronicle, Kansas City’s only Jewish newspaper continues to thrive.
To everyone who has submitted an article to The Chronicle this year, thank you. You have immensely supported The Chronicle by helping it provide local Jewish content that the community loves to read. Many synagogues, organizations and individuals have shared stories that are meaningful and newsworthy, and we appreciate that.
Personally, I’d like to sincerely thank Lacey and Derek for their patience, help and support since I started in August. They are both fantastic writers, editors and journalists, and I am very lucky to work with them. I’d also like to thank Annette van de Kamp-Wright, editor of the Jewish Press in Omaha, and Mike Sherry, the previous editor of The Chronicle, for mentoring me and continuing to offer support. Thank you also to all the Kricsfelds in Overland Park and to everyone who has been so kind in welcoming me into the Kansas City Jewish community.
May 2022 be a good year full of happiness, healthiness and Jewishness. Thank you for reading The Chronicle - we look forward to another year covering the community.
