My message to readers of the JC

This week I was given the honour of a lifetime: becoming the editor of the Jewish Chronicle. Leading the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper carries great responsibility at any time, but never more so than at this moment–perhaps the most challenging for the Jewish people since World War II.

Unusually for this role, I am a native German speaker who was, nonetheless, raised as an Anglophile. My parents, Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe, instilled in me a simple but profound truth: without this heroic little island, there would have been no survival. The motherland of parliamentary democracy stood firm against Hitler when so many others crumbled. That legacy shaped my deep admiration for British history and culture—not only for its finest hour, but far beyond. Equally, I have always had great respect for Britain’s proud, centuries-old Jewish community, which has played a vital role in national life. So to be able to partake in the political, cultural, communal, and even culinary debate of this extraordinary country and its equally extraordinary Jewish community is a profound honor.

Under my leadership, the JC will continue to uphold the highest standards of journalism, providing fearless investigative reporting, strong and fair coverage, and opinion pages that serve as a hub for stimulating debate. This has always been, and always will be, a Zionist newspaper and a resolute voice of the British Jewish community. We can discuss in these pages what kind of Israel we would like to see, but Israel as such is not negotiable.

We may not always get everything right, and when we err, we will own our mistakes. But our commitment to the truth, to our readers, and to the community we serve will remain unwavering.