Jewish-media research: New page: Jewish Guardian (sourced profile)

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New page: Jewish Guardian (sourced profile)

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{{short description|'''London Jewish weekly (1919–1931), edited by Laurie Magnus and backed by opponents of political Zionism in the League of British Jews'''}}
{{Infobox company
| name = The Jewish Guardian
| type = Weekly newspaper (defunct)
| founded = {{Start date|1919|10}}
| founder = Members of the [[League of British Jews]]
| defunct = {{Start date|1931}}
| hq_location = London
| industry = Newspaper publishing
}}
'''''The Jewish Guardian''''' was a London Jewish weekly published from 1919 to 1931 by opponents of political [[Zionism]]. It was edited by [[Laurie Magnus]], and [[Israel Abrahams]] chaired its board of directors. It was set up as a rival to ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'' under [[Leopold Greenberg]], which had backed the [[Balfour Declaration]].<ref name="JC49p162">''The Jewish Chronicle 1841–1941: A Century of Newspaper History'' (London: The Jewish Chronicle, 1949), p. 162.</ref><ref name="Ces127">David Cesarani, ''The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry, 1841–1991'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 127.</ref><ref name="Ces140">David Cesarani, ''The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry, 1841–1991'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 140.</ref> The ''Chronicle'''s 1949 centenary history says the paper was "founded to uphold the principle that Judaism is a religion and to deny its nationalist basis".<ref name="JC49p162" />

== History ==
=== Origins ===
The ''[[The Jewish Chronicle|Chronicle]]'''s 1949 history says that after the Balfour Declaration [[Philip Magnus|Sir Philip Magnus]] asked [[Leopold Greenberg]], on behalf of prominent Jews who opposed it, for space in the ''Chronicle'', because wartime restrictions prevented them from starting their own paper. Greenberg agreed, with a disclaimer, and [[Laurie Magnus]] was allowed to write anonymously as "Diarist" in a column called "Leaves from a Jewish Notebook". The column ended when "Diarist" tried to publish an account of a supposedly triumphant meeting addressed by Laurie Magnus in the East End, at which, the editor had learned, Magnus had in fact been "utterly discomfited". "Not long after, he and his friends began to produce their own paper, The Jewish Guardian, in order to set forth their views."<ref name="JC49p150">''The Jewish Chronicle 1841–1941: A Century of Newspaper History'' (London: The Jewish Chronicle, 1949), p. 150.</ref>

The historian [[David Cesarani]] writes that the [[League of British Jews]] was formed shortly after the Declaration on the principle that Jews were a denomination rather than a nation. On 18 March 1918 a literary sub-committee of the League, with [[Lucien Wolf]] as "the prime mover", discussed starting a newspaper. Wolf asked the wartime Paper Commission for a licence on the grounds that the ''Chronicle'' and the ''[[Jewish World]]'' represented one party only and that their company was "only partially British".<ref name="Ces126">David Cesarani, ''The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry, 1841–1991'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 126.</ref> The committee aimed to raise £25,000, of which £3,000 was soon promised; [[S. G. Asher]] pledged £1,000. The League first issued a monthly bulletin, ''[[Jewish Opinion]]'', from December 1918, and in October 1919 it published the ''Jewish Guardian'' "as a full-blown rival to the Jewish Chronicle".<ref name="Ces127" /> Cesarani quotes [[Isidore Spielman|Sir Isidore Spielman]], who sat on the paper's board, as telling [[Israel Zangwill]] that "Master Greenberg has run the community long enough & it seems to me that he tries to 'boss it' with his J. C. and J. W. as Northcliffe tries to 'boss' the country with his Times and Mail."<ref name="Ces127" />

=== Ownership, editor and board ===
Cesarani cites the paper's statement of intent of 3 October 1919, which said it was founded "to provide the Jews of Great Britain and the Empire with an organ of their own, their own in the sense that they own it". Although it claimed to be independent, he writes, it was financed by [[Claude Montefiore]] and several wealthy members of the League of British Jews. [[Laurie Magnus]], son of [[Philip Magnus|Sir Philip Magnus]], was editor and [[Israel Abrahams]] chaired the board of directors.<ref name="Ces140" /> Magnus had lost £40,000 on a newspaper in 1904 and had since worked in publishing, notably as a director of [[Routledge]].<ref name="Ces140" /> The 1949 history also says that Abrahams became chairman of the ''Guardian'''s board when it was set up, and that his last contribution to the ''Chronicle'' over the initials "I.A." appeared on 4 May 1917.<ref name="JC49p152">''The Jewish Chronicle 1841–1941: A Century of Newspaper History'' (London: The Jewish Chronicle, 1949), p. 152.</ref> Cesarani says Magnus and Abrahams left the ''Chronicle'' a month after a "Diarist" column criticised its treatment of the League, and elsewhere that they left in 1919 "on account of its Zionist posture".<ref name="Ces126" /><ref name="Ces140" />

=== Competition with ''The Jewish Chronicle'' ===
According to Cesarani, the ''Guardian'' challenged the ''Chronicle'''s claim to full coverage and literary excellence, and systematically undercut its advertising rates. Partly to fend it off, the ''Chronicle'' started a literary supplement in January 1921.<ref name="Ces140" /> The 1949 history dates that monthly supplement to 28 January 1921.<ref name="JC49pxiv">''The Jewish Chronicle 1841–1941: A Century of Newspaper History'' (London: The Jewish Chronicle, 1949), p. xiv.</ref> Cesarani notes that Greenberg sent a young staff member to buy two copies of the ''Guardian'' when it appeared every Thursday morning, so as to catch any story the ''Chronicle'' had missed.<ref name="Ces282">David Cesarani, ''The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry, 1841–1991'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 282, n. 127, citing the recollections of Sam Klein in the ''Jewish Chronicle'' London Extra, 13 November 1981.</ref>

=== Decline ===
Cesarani writes that the market "was too small for two Anglo-Jewish weeklies". The ''Guardian'' attracted high-quality advertising from a well-to-do readership, but its circulation was too small to be economical. Its line moved gradually "from anti-Zionism to non-Zionism and tepid support for the Jewish Agency", but it barely reached beyond the League, whose membership never exceeded 1,200.<ref name="Ces140" /> The 1949 history says the paper had financial backing "such as no Anglo-Jewish periodical enjoyed before", but "in the end became philo-Zionist although by no means nationalist". It "died, in consequence of inanition rather than exhaustion, after an existence of some twelve years, though not without having attained a high literary standard and introduced more than one new name to Anglo-Jewish journalism".<ref name="JC49p162" /> Both sources date the paper 1919–31.<ref name="JC49p162" /><ref name="Ces139">David Cesarani, ''The Jewish Chronicle and Anglo-Jewry, 1841–1991'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 139.</ref>

== People ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Role !! Source
|-
| [[Laurie Magnus]] || Editor || <ref name="JC49p162" /><ref name="Ces140" />
|-
| [[Israel Abrahams]] || Chairman of the board of directors || <ref name="JC49p152" /><ref name="Ces140" />
|-
| [[Isidore Spielman|Sir Isidore Spielman]] || Board member || <ref name="Ces127" />
|-
| [[Claude Montefiore]] || Financial backer || <ref name="Ces140" />
|-
| [[Lucien Wolf]] || Prime mover of the League's 1918 newspaper plan || <ref name="Ces126" />
|-
| [[League of British Jews]] || Backers; the paper did not reach far beyond its membership || <ref name="Ces127" /><ref name="Ces140" />
|}

== See also ==
* [[The Jewish Chronicle]]
* [[League of British Jews]]

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Newspapers|Jewish Guardian]]
[[Category:Media|Jewish Guardian]]

Jewish Guardian - Revision history

Jewish-media research: New page: Jewish Guardian (sourced profile)