Flatbush Jewish Journal

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This article is about the Orthodox Jewish Newspaper in Brooklyn. For other uses, see The Jewish Journal (disambiguation).

Flatbush Jewish Journal
TypeWeekly newspaper
Founder(s)Mordy Mehlman
Founded2010
CityNew York City, New York
CountryUnited States
Websitehttps://www.flatbushjewishjournal.com/

Flatbush Jewish Journal (FJJ) is a Brooklyn-based weekly newspaper catering to the Orthodox Jewish community. It is closely associated with Agudath Israel of America.

Overview[edit]

Mordy Mehlman, who founded the FJJ in 2010, claimed that 19,000 homes receive the publication.[1][2] Larry Gordon, publisher of the Five Towns Jewish Times (another New York-based newspaper) claimed that FJJ was modelled after his own publication. In 2015, the physical page size shrank due to a change that reduced printing costs.[3]

The newspaper is closely associated with Agudath Israel of America, an Orthodox Jewish advocacy organization.[4] While the publication's audience is the Orthodox community in New York City,[5][6][7] the name Flatbush Jewish Journal hints towards a focus on the Brooklyn neighborhood of Midwood, which many Jews consider to be part of Flatbush. For religious reasons, the newspaper refuses to print pictures of women or girls.[8][9] If a yartzeit article is published about a woman, the accompanying photo, if present, is of her husband.[7]

Features[edit]

Reb Yaakov, The Life and Times of HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky
serialized 2021 by FJJ

FJJ publishes ongoing Torah content by several well-known rabbis; Artscroll books are serialized. Some of their weekly columnists with professional recognition feature a reader's letter and a response, sometimes continued to the following week. Content from Artscroll volumes previously or presently excerpted include writings by or about Yaakov Kamenetsky (Reb Yaakov: The Life and Times of HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky),[10] Abraham J. Twerski (Letters To My Children)[11] and Avraham Yaakov Pam (The Life and Ideals of Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Hakohen Pam).[12]

Since 2013 the newspaper has featured advertisements from an anonymous source aimed to reduce chatter during Jewish religious services headlined "Stop the Talking in Shul!".[13]

The letter pages[14] were, for ten years, the source of material for Rocky Zweig's submissions, whose presence was described by a larger Orthodox newspaper as "a weekly column."[15] The late Zweig[16] wrote a major satire in the guise of a full page of the Talmud, describing the reasons why Donald Trump should or should not build a wall, and why or why not Mexico should want to pay for it; it was printed as the front page of the Purim issue. The Flatbush Jewish Journal's letter pages are considered important reading: in 2013 a long-time elected legislator's negative reaction to content was covered by The Jewish Press.[17]

Impact[edit]

Local newspapers, including The New York Times, cover their content.[5][9][18] Gordon conceded that FJJ covered Brooklyn yeshiva events well.[3]

In April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, FJJ ran a 50-page obituary section. This was followed up by a shorter yartzeit tribute one year later.[7][19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "10 Questions About Jonathan Pollard With Rabbi Pesach". Yeshivaworld. November 26, 2015.
  2. ^ "America's Fastest Growing Newspaper". Retrieved September 5, 2021. 30,000 printed; 250,000 readers; 19,000 homes; 3,000 emailed
  3. ^ a b Larry Gordon (June 18, 2015). "Bigger, Smaller, Better". Five Towns Jewish Times (5tJt.com).
  4. ^ Josh Nathan-Kazis (February 21, 2019). "Public Advocate Candidate Eric Ulrich Is Courting The Orthodox. Is It Enough To Win?". The Forward.
  5. ^ a b Anemona Hartocollis; Ann Farmer (May 1, 2015). "Brooklyn Girl Injured in a Fire That Killed 7 Siblings Is Said to Be Recovering". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Jerry Nadler Voted In Favor of Iran Deal, and Will Survive To Tell The Tale". The Forward. October 8, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Irene Katz Connelly (April 27, 2020). "Orthodox publication includes 50 pages of obituaries". The Forward. respected rabbis and yeshiva leaders, as well as Noach Dear, a Brooklyn councilman and judge.
  8. ^ Shoshy Ciment (August 2, 2017). "Invisible Women: Censorship By Some Orthodox Publications". The Jewish Press.
  9. ^ a b Erin Durkin (July 10, 2017). "Orthodox Jewish mom and popular social media star uses ..." The New York Daily News.
  10. ^ Yonason Rosenblum. Reb Yaakov: The Life and Times of Hagaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky. ISBN 978-0-8990-6413-0.
  11. ^ ,Abraham J. Twerski (November 2015). Letters To My Children. Artscroll. ISBN 978-1-4226-1662-8.
  12. ^ Shimon Finkelman. The Life and Ideals of Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Hakohen Pam. ISBN 978-1-5781-9384-4.
  13. ^ Josh Nathan-Kazis (September 3, 2013). "Rabbis Declare War on Chit-Chat in Synagogue". The Forward.
  14. ^ several pages per issue
  15. ^ Hana Levi Julian (February 18, 2020). "(Rocky) Zweig, z'l, Co-Founder of Neginah Orchestra Passes Away". The Jewish Press.
  16. ^ "Rocky Zweig".
  17. ^ Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu (May 2, 2013). "Hikind Joins Bloggers to Accuse Greenfield as a Phony Blogger". The Jewish Press.
  18. ^ "Readers sound off on sins, socialists and sandwiches". New York Daily News.
  19. ^ "Flatbush Jewish Journal Marks One Year Since COVID Struck with Tribute Edition". Yeshivaworld. March 22, 2021.
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