This issue of The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle marks its 105th year of publication, and we’re going to make a big deal out of this anniversary.
The Chronicle is in the unique position of walking the line between the past and present on its way to the future.
As the stewards of this institution, it’d be a crime for us to ignore more than a century of legacy, but we’d also be remiss to dig in our heels and resist change. We have to honor and learn from yesterday as we work and look towards tomorrow.
Before we talk about the future, I must acknowledge the obvious — The Chronicle is old. It’s older than traffic lights, bubble gum, sliced bread and chocolate chip cookies. It was old when both Assistant Editor Lacey Storer and I were born, and it’ll continue to be old as long as it’s still around. But contrary to the stereotype of a legacy publication that’s stuck in the past, The Chronicle remains flexible and malleable, able to adapt to changing technology, a changing industry and a changing world.
The Chronicle has successfully evolved and survived in an environment that has killed many a publication. Multiple cornerstones of American Jewish journalism have ceased operations completely in the last decade, victims of rising costs, reduced demand and an inability (or unwillingness) to change their business models.
This market shift has had an effect on The Chronicle — many of you might remember when Federation had to make the difficult decision to print The Chronicle every two weeks instead of weekly. You might remember when The Chronicle’s staff numbered more than a dozen instead of just two. You might remember when The Chronicle had 48 pages in every issue.
None of those things are feasible anymore, and while that is unfortunate, it is far from a death knell for The Chronicle.
I would argue that what makes this publication worthwhile isn’t the page numbers, print frequency, website or staff size. Although those things serve as a framework or body, they are not the essence, the soul of The Chronicle. That soul is you and your stories. It is this community and what happens in it.
I’m aware that it sounds meshuggah to claim what makes a publication isn’t the newspaper or website itself, but without you and your stories, you’d be staring at a blank page. And, thank G-d, this community and its stories are still around and thriving, which gives The Chronicle the energy and content to continue making a meaningful product.
You have helped Lacey and me make great improvements to The Chronicle over the past few years. Your honesty and feedback in our 2023 readers survey helped us determine where we should most focus our resources. You served as the impetus for the first comprehensive redesign of The Chronicle in 15 years; a games page; more profiles; sharing community celebrations and obituaries beyond just our subscribers; and increased social media presence and quality. You deserve credit for where The Chronicle is today.
The Chronicle is still around, and we thank you for helping it get here and reading this editorial. But, the elephant in the room is the question, “What’s next?”
I’m excited that the answer to that question is, “A lot.” It starts with this issue. We have added three features to print issues of The Chronicle: a cryptogram, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy sports scores, and, most requested of all, recipes.
These are among many additions and changes we hope to enact over the next few years, both in print and online. Expect special issues, interesting stories, engagement opportunities with Chronicle staff and quite a few surprises.
We ask for your continued support as we steer this 105-year-old publication into the future — you can renew your subscriptions or gift subscriptions to your friends and family at kcjc.com/subscribe; advertise with us at kcjc.com/advertise; and continue sending us your stories, celebrations and photos at kcjc.com/chronicle-submissions. We also accept donations at kcjc.com/donate.
On behalf of everyone who plays a part in this publication, thank you so much.
Sincerely,
-Sam Kricsfeld, editor
