Geoffrey Paul, the editor of the Jewish Chronicle from 1977-1990, has died at the age of 90 after a short illness.
Born in Liverpool in 1929 to an Orthodox Jewish family, Mr Paul began his career in journalism writing for local papers, including the Denbighshire Free Press and Barnsley Chronicle.
As described by historian David Cesarani in his book The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry, 1841–1991, Geoffrey Paul grew up in a committed Zionist home and, in 1948, soon after the Arab attack on the newly declared State of Israel, he prepared to go there as a volunteer to help defend the country. Having been told to quit his job and get ready to leave, he did so only for hostilities to suddenly end and he found himself stranded and jobless in London.
However, he would go on to work for the public relations department of the Jewish Agency, before moving back into journalism via the Jewish Telegraph Agency and subsequently as assistant editor of the Jewish Observer and Middle East Review.
He would join the Jewish Chronicle in 1958 under William Frankel, who had assumed the editorship of paper the same year. For the next two decades, Mr Paul would go on to hold a number of positions at the paper, both in the UK and abroad, ultimately succeeding Mr Frankel as editor in 1977.
During his editorship, the JC pursued a path of constructive criticism regarding Israel’s actions – a policy continued to this day.
As described by Prof Cesarani, Mr Paul believed that a “partnership” should exist between Israel and Jews in the diaspora. He rejected the notion that Jews outside Israel should refrain from commenting on the country’s actions and policies – a policy which sometimes put the paper at odds with swathes of the British Jewish community.
Most notably, in response to the massacres carried out by Lebanese Christian forces allies at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in 1982 while Israeli occupying forces sat by, a JC editorial written by Mr Paul concluded that the Israeli government “bears indirect responsibility for what happened” and called on the Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, and the Defence Minister, Ariel Sharon, to resign. Despite a serious threat by communal figures to cancel advertising in the paper and encourage a boycott of the paper, the board stood firm behind the editor.
In a piece written for the 175th anniversary of the paper in 2016, Mr Paul dryly noted that such stances “did not serve to endear the editor to the protagonists of this cause or the other. Friends were sometimes hard to make and keep.”
Having informed the paper in 1986 of his intention to retire early, Mr Paul stepped down as editor in 1990, after a long search for a replacement had led to the editorship being offered to Edward (“Ned”) Temko.
However, Mr Paul would continue working for the paper for many years afterwards. Moving to America in the 1990s, he would serve as the JC’s American correspondent for a time, and was a regular reviewer of books for the paper – his last review, on the autobiography of Ehud Barak, the former Israeli Prime Minister, was submitted in May last year.
Stephen Pollard, editor of the JC, said: "Geoffrey Paul was one of the towering figures in Jewish journalism of the past century - and not just Jewish journalism. As a writer and correspondent he redefined what it meant to work for the JC.
"As editor of the JC he was wise, thoughtful, inspired and prescient - exactly the qualities he had as a man. He was also a mensch.
"I will always revere him and be grateful for his counsel and ability to cut to the heart of any issue.
"My deepest sympathies to Rachel and his family."
Emeritus Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks said, "Geoffrey Paul was one of Anglo-Jewry’s finest editors, with a sharp mind, a deeply moral set of commitments, a devoted love of Judaism, a strong sense of humour and unfailing humanity. He represented Anglo Jewry at its very best and raised its journalistic standards high. Elaine and I considered him a cherished friend."
Sidney Lightman, former assistant foreign editor of the JC who worked with Mr Paul for 30 years, originally on the Jewish Observer, said “he was a man of very diverse talents. He was a journalist to his fingertips with a very good writing style and an enormous vocabulary. He knew Anglo-Jewry extremely well and I can’t think of any one more suitable to have been editor of the JC.
“He was very approachable and helpful to everyone who worked with him.”
The entire staff of the JC extends its deepest condolences to the family of Mr Paul. May his memory be blessed.
