Jake Wallis Simons
Jake Wallis Simons is a British journalist. He was editor of The Jewish Chronicle from December 2021 to January 2025, having previously been its deputy editor. He left to write a book, Never Again? How the West Betrayed the Jews and Itself, and continued as a columnist for the paper.[1][2][3][4]
Background
In a 2010 Guardian article Wallis Simons described growing up in Orthodox Judaism in London and leaving it. He wrote:
- "The prospect of Britain and Israel going to war is an unlikely one. At the orthodox Jewish school that I attended, however, it must have seemed like a distinct possibility. We used to regularly debate which side we would fight for. Although steeped in religious observance, we had been born in England, grew up here, and developed strong allegiances to English football teams. We spoke little modern Hebrew and had been to Israel just a handful of times. Nevertheless, the feeling was unanimous: we would take up arms on behalf of the Jewish state.
- From one point of view, we were simply using a primitive thought experiment to mould our nascent sense of identity. At the same time, however, this was more than just an abstract exercise. Many of my schoolmates volunteered for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) after completing their A-levels…"[5]
He wrote that he himself had joined a gym "in preparation for a planned stint in the IDF", but "before long I had abandoned my plans to join the IDF".[5]
In September 2014 the Guardian republished the article under the byline "Anonymous", with a note: "This article was amended on 23 September 2014 to remove identifying details of the author and his family for personal reasons." The passage on which side the pupils would fight for is unchanged.[6]
The Jewish Chronicle and the BBC
The Jewish Chronicle was among the principal critics of the BBC's reporting of the Oxford Street Chanukah bus incident. Ofcom listed it with the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Office of the Chief Rabbi as organisations that criticised the BBC's claim.[7] On the morning of 3 December 2021, while still deputy editor, Wallis Simons challenged the BBC's reporter Harry Farley on Twitter: "Can you identify these "slurs" please? Only I can't find it, and we wouldn't want to give the impression that the BBC was antisemitic or anything." Minutes later a British-Israeli user replied: "Jake, you can hear s/one at the start of the video saying "dirty Muslim."… before you dig in on this, that comment exists". Wallis Simons's tweet was later deleted; an Internet Archive copy survives.[8] The paper's campaign ran under Wallis Simons's editorship from mid-December 2021. Stephen Pollard wrote on 16 December 2021 that he had "stepped down as editor last week".[9] On 30 December 2021 the paper published a report by Jonathan Sacerdoti, "Damning new evidence undermines BBC's Oxford Street racist slur claim".[10] When Ofcom ruled in November 2022, the paper called the verdict "a victory for the JC".[11] The paper's registered controlling shareholder at the time was the BBC board member Robbie Gibb.[12]
See also
Notes
- ↑ "IPSO declines call for standards investigation into Jewish Chronicle", Press Gazette, 5 January 2022: "Stephen Pollard stepped down as editor after 13 years last month, and was succeeded by his deputy Jake Wallis Simons."
- ↑ @JakeWSimons, X, 31 January 2025: "And so I arrive at my very last day as editor of the @JewishChron."
- ↑ Dominic Ponsford, "Jewish Chronicle announces new editor, new look and revamped membership", Press Gazette, 29 January 2025: "He replaces Jake Wallis Simons who has been in the role since 2021 and is leaving to write a book, but will continue as a Jewish Chronicle columnist."
- ↑ Jake Wallis Simons, "It's time for a new chapter", Substack, 2 February 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jake Wallis Simons, "I broke out of my orthodox cocoon", The Guardian, 13 March 2010 (Wayback Machine capture, 17 March 2010).
- ↑ "I broke out of my orthodox cocoon", The Guardian, amended version dated 23 September 2014.
- ↑ Ofcom, Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin, Issue 461, 7 November 2022.
- ↑ Jake Wallis Simons, tweet, 3 December 2021, 08:28 GMT (deleted; Wayback Machine capture, 08:33 GMT); reply by @emteess, 08:39 GMT.
- ↑ Stephen Pollard, "Thank you to our readers, but most of all thank you to a wonderful team", The Jewish Chronicle, 16 December 2021.
- ↑ Jonathan Sacerdoti, "Damning new evidence undermines BBC's Oxford Street racist slur claim", The Jewish Chronicle, 30 December 2021.
- ↑ "Ofcom slams BBC's 'serious' editorial failures over Chanukah bus attack reporting", The Jewish Chronicle, 7 November 2022.
- ↑ Companies House, persons with significant control, company 12562281: "Sir Robbie Paul Gibb… Notified on 17 April 2020 Ceased on 12 August 2024… Ownership of shares – 75% or more".