A Passover Message from Kaylene Ladinsky

Unity Creates Community

In June of this year I will have completed my first five years as the editor of the Atlanta Jewish Times. When I began my adventure with the AJT as business manager in 2011, I felt that our newspaper was missing something that would engage more people and make them feel more part of our community.

So, one of my most important goals over the this first five years has been to create a publication that serves most of Jewish Atlanta. The first step was asking many of our community leaders to join us for a round table to discuss what they felt would engage them and those they know. As a matter of fact, it is time for another round table meeting to kick-off the next five years.

While studying all I learned for the round table, I quickly understood that I would need to include more diverse topics and feature sections in the paper. The number one thing that everyone thought the paper needed less of was long stories that went on for three and four pages.

I find it so interesting that in my efforts to bring more unity in our community, by thousands of readers to experience that connection by keeping up with our Jewish community’s news and events, I had to be more diverse in our content. That meant that I had to publish shorter stories, less of the regular opinion columns, include news, politics, opinions, feature stories, who’s who in Atlanta, a vibrant community calendar, dining, sports, Israel and community briefs, all in each newspaper we published.

So far it has been working, Atlanta Jewish Times won the Best Newspaper from the American Jewish Press Association and I hope by most of our readers.

The point of this is that our unity is that we all care about Jewish Atlanta and want to know what’s happening in the community. Those that read the paper and have more knowledge will naturally feel more connected, and that is our “unity.”

As you reflect on community, realize that it is not our differences that tear us apart. We already know that everyone has their own interests – rather it’s being open to diversity and focusing on the things that unify us is what brings us together.

So, I would ask all our readers and leaders to let go of the opinions and judgments that we tend to have that build walls between each other and focus on those areas that unite us.

com·mu·ni·ty – noun
1) a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
2) a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Kaylene Ladinsky is the editor and managing publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times.