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Oct. 5, 2007
Changing of the guard
Editor's chair at JI will be getting a new occupant.
BAILA LAZARUS
The Jewish Independent is having a changing of the guard,
as current editor Katharine Hamer leaves to pursue other interests.
Hamer came in two-and-a-half years ago, after working as a freelance
writer for CBC News, the Vancouver Sun, the Globe and
Mail and other publications. Beginning this month, she is moving
to a new position as communications manager for the public relations
firm Lucent Strategies. She will also be taking on various other
writing and editing projects, including the development of a progressive
film quarterly called The Frame (www.entertheframe.com).
"I'm hoping to find time to do some of my own writing, as well,"
said Hamer. "Who knows? Maybe one day, I'll write the great
Canadian novel!"
Hamer had come on board the newspaper just as it was undergoing
its rebranding.
"It was an exciting time to get involved, as I was able to
contribute to changes in the paper's content and appearance,"
she said. "We began to feature more national and international
stories, and were able to run some in-depth features on emerging
Jewish personalities, such as Geoff Berner, Rain Pryor and Jonathan
Safran Foer.
"I was surprised – and extremely pleased – to discover
that there is a sense out there of the 'Tribe' - that big names
would talk to us simply because they were Jewish. Publisher Cynthia
Ramsay's recent interview with celebrated playwright Tony Kushner
is just one example of this."
Although Hamer's family are longtime members of the Vancouver Jewish
community, she said this was her first opportunity to get involved
in any serious way.
"I have met so many different people during my time here, learned
so many stories and so much more about Jewish tradition," she
said, highlighting her experience of meeting other Jewish editors
and writers at a conference in Jerusalem last year. "Although
there were national and cultural differences between us, we also
shared many of the same goals and challenges. Among these is keeping
a Jewish community paper afloat during a time when all newspapers
are struggling to do so."
Hamer said she is "enormously proud" that despite the
challenges of competing media and a small staff, the paper was able
to win three awards for excellence at this year's American Jewish
Press Association conference. "The paper strives – and
will continue to strive – to bring you, the readers, the best,
most interesting material we can lay our hands on. As I leave the
editor's chair, I'd like to say todah rabah to all of you for your
continued support."
Coming in to help out with editorial responsibilities will be Ron
Friedman, a frequent contributor to the Independent, who has just
completed a summer stint at the Jerusalem Post and who is
in his final year of a master's of journalism program at the University
of British Columbia. He's excited about adding a fresh voice and
attitude to the Independent.
"I hope that I can bring my experiences, my interests and my
passion for journalism to the JI," he said, adding that his
most recent work in particular – at the Post –
had a profound impact on him.
"The variety and intensity of the Israeli news environment
meant that I accumulated a lot of experiences in a relatively short
amount of time," said Friedman, 29. "My proudest moment
is when a story I wrote about global warming effects on Israel made
the front page of the weekend edition, the first time an environmental
story led the paper."
Friedman considers Israel, where his family lives, his home. He
grew up, studied and served in the military there. He left to complete
his undergraduate degree in philosophy, political science and social
theory at York University in Toronto.
He has contributed numerous stories to the Independent, covering
community events, lectures, meetings and celebrations. His exposure
to Vancouver's Jewish community has instilled in him a commitment
to helping the many varied groups feel represented in the paper.
"My work for the JI last year made me sensitive to the
variety of voices within the Jewish community," he said. "I
hope that the JI will continue to fairly address the diverse interests
of the members of our community."
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and
illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
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