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.
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Mordy Mehlman |
| Founded | 2010 |
| City | New York City, New York |
| Country | United States |
| Website | https://www.flatbushjewishjournal.com/ |
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
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
- ^ "10 Questions About Jonathan Pollard With Rabbi Pesach". Yeshivaworld. November 26, 2015.
- ^ "America's Fastest Growing Newspaper". Retrieved September 5, 2021.
30,000 printed; 250,000 readers; 19,000 homes; 3,000 emailed
- ^ a b Larry Gordon (June 18, 2015). "Bigger, Smaller, Better". Five Towns Jewish Times (5tJt.com).
- ^ Josh Nathan-Kazis (February 21, 2019). "Public Advocate Candidate Eric Ulrich Is Courting The Orthodox. Is It Enough To Win?". The Forward.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Jerry Nadler Voted In Favor of Iran Deal, and Will Survive To Tell The Tale". The Forward. October 8, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Shoshy Ciment (August 2, 2017). "Invisible Women: Censorship By Some Orthodox Publications". The Jewish Press.
- ^ a b Erin Durkin (July 10, 2017). "Orthodox Jewish mom and popular social media star uses ..." The New York Daily News.
- ^ Yonason Rosenblum. Reb Yaakov: The Life and Times of Hagaon Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky. ISBN 978-0-8990-6413-0.
- ^ ,Abraham J. Twerski (November 2015). Letters To My Children. Artscroll. ISBN 978-1-4226-1662-8.
- ^ Shimon Finkelman. The Life and Ideals of Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Hakohen Pam. ISBN 978-1-5781-9384-4.
- ^ Josh Nathan-Kazis (September 3, 2013). "Rabbis Declare War on Chit-Chat in Synagogue". The Forward.
- ^ several pages per issue
- ^ Hana Levi Julian (February 18, 2020). "(Rocky) Zweig, z'l, Co-Founder of Neginah Orchestra Passes Away". The Jewish Press.
- ^ "Rocky Zweig".
- ^ Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu (May 2, 2013). "Hikind Joins Bloggers to Accuse Greenfield as a Phony Blogger". The Jewish Press.
- ^ "Readers sound off on sins, socialists and sandwiches". New York Daily News.
- ^ "Flatbush Jewish Journal Marks One Year Since COVID Struck with Tribute Edition". Yeshivaworld. March 22, 2021.