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October 2009/Cheshvan 5770
A JOURNAL OF JEWISH RESPONSIBILITY
From the Editor & Publisher
This issue of Sh’ma opens a new chapter in our history. For the past eleven years Sh’ma has been published by Jewish Family & Life (JFL
Media). I’ve had the good fortune to edit the journal
through these years, to think each month about the
conversations that would engage contemporary Jews
— that would significantly deepen our sense of who
we are and how we think about the broader world.
The recent financial turmoil that rocked the Jewish nonprofit world has brought Sh’ma an unprecedented and unexpected gift. When JFL Media began
to look in the spring for a new publishing home for
the journal, the Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation
stepped up to the plate. The foundation has been
one of our partner-donors for several years and will
now step in to secure the journal financially. We will
continue to partner with a number of institutions,
foundations, universities/seminaries, and other pub-
A New Home
lications in an effort to be as resourceful as possible
in these lean times. Most important, we will remain
an independent journal — that is, we will continue
to publish, as we have since Eugene Borowitz
founded the journal in 1970, thought-provoking essays — each month a “think tank” of diverse ideas
and conversations published online and in print to
incubate issues of significance to Jewish community
conversations. We plan to expand our online presence — through our digital edition, through our
daily guest bloggers, on Kindle, and more.
We hope to use this opportunity of change to revitalize a Jewish treasure — the journal, a unique
venue for welcoming and engaging in truly pluralis-tic dialogue. We also plan to relaunch our national
community-building salon program. I’m pleased to
remain as the editor, and welcome our new publisher, Josh Rolnick. —Susan Berrin
To subscribe:
877-568-SHMA
www.shma.com
In the spring, I received a phone call from Susan Berrin, who was concerned that unless Sh’ma could find a new home, along with financial security, the
journal as we know it would cease to exist. Our family
foundation, Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation, has
long been a supporter of Sh’ma — financially and
strategically. Since our founding in 1966, the foundation has been dedicated to Jewish education and identity building, with an emphasis on innovation and
nonprofit organizational effectiveness, and Sh’ma is a
natural fit. Three years ago, when the journal faced dire
financial constraints, our foundation led an effort to recruit new institutional partners, helping Sh’ma regain its
footing; I joined the Editorial Advisory Board.
This time, when Susan reached out to us we saw
a unique opportunity for the foundation and Sh’ma.
We could secure the journal financially, marshal funds
for marketing and expanding the Web presence, and
thus allow Sh’ma not only to continue publishing but
to thrive. To achieve this, we are establishing the
Sh’ma Institute as an independent nonprofit to run the
journal. In so doing, we honor the guiding vision of
our founder, Jerry Lippman, of blessed memory, who
sought to promote Jewish learning.
I am honored and, frankly, humbled to serve as the
new publisher of a journal rich in history and in significance for the Jewish community. Though currently I
write fiction, my roots in journalism extend back to my
tenure as editor of Rutgers’ Daily Targum; I've served as
managing editor of Moment magazine, and editorial director of the Stanford Social Innovation Review.
This issue of Sh’ma explores the concept of wonder. For me, and the board members of our foundation, wonder has always been at the heart of what we
most admire about this journal. We marvel at its
fierce independence, its willingness to take on issues
that range from settlements in Israel and neo-conser-vativism to gender education and Jewish bodies. We
literally wonder: what will each issue bring? Will the
pieces be written by scientists or rabbis? Academics or
sculptors? Poets or educators or singers? Sometimes,
as we are reading, an idea, a thought, or a question
hits us in a fresh way, and our own world quite literally opens to new possibilities.
Rabbi Eleazer said: “There is wonder in earning
bread as there is wonder in redeeming the world.” It’s
our fervent hope that there can also be wonder in
turning the page. —Josh Rolnick
Wonder in Redeeming the World
