Jewish Post & News committed to print, community

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/03/2021 (2033 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was billed as an informal Zoom session featuring “hilarious” and “never-before-heard-stories” about the Jewish Post & News — and editor Bernie Bellan delivered.

The March 2 event, sponsored by the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, also promised — as Bellan put it — to “deal head-on with the rumour that he actually knows something about publishing a Jewish newspaper.”

On that score, the answer is yes; the newspaper, which dates back to 1925, is still in business, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and even though other Jewish newspapers in North America are closing.

Bellan, who has owned the paper since 1984, attributed its success to a “solid and loyal subscription base” of 1,500, and to the number of obituaries and memoriams the paper publishes.

“It’s an oddity,” Bellan said of the three to four pages of such notices the Winnipeg-based paper prints in each of its 26 issues each year.

“I don’t know if there is any other Jewish newspaper in the world that carries as many as we do,” he said, noting one memoriam has been running annually for 61 years.

Many of the obituaries and memoriams are purchased by ex-Winnipeggers who want to keep alive the memory of parents and loved ones, he said.

The success is also attributable to Bellan’s curiosity and enthusiasm for reporting about life in Winnipeg’s Jewish community — and his considerable energy.

In addition to being the editor since 2008, he is the publisher, reporter, photographer, marketer and ad sales rep. “I’m responsible for it all,” he said.

When the pandemic hit and ad sales bottomed out, Bellan wasn’t sure the paper would survive. He cut back staff, began working at home and dropped one edition, thinking he might have to go online to stay in business.

The reaction from readers to that idea wasn’t positive.

“I decided to keep printing, and gradually things fell into place,” he said, noting advertising started back up and circulation stayed steady. “Ever since then, things have got better and better.”

Content is a mix of local, national and international news and a lot of local events.

“I don’t charge for them,” Bellan said, noting he believes it’s the newspaper’s role to help promote activities in the Jewish community.

What he doesn’t publish are many articles about Israeli politics.

“I carry quite a few articles about Israel, but I want interesting takes on life in that country,” Bellan said of how he looks for quirky and unusual stories. “People can find all the regular news about Israel in other places.”

Bellan said he will run articles critical of Israel because he wants the paper to be balanced. If he gets into any trouble at all, it’s when people accuse him of not “being pro-Israel enough.”

“I’m not afraid to take the criticism,” he said, adding he’s not afraid of tackling controversial subjects.

One such subject is the size of Winnipeg’s Jewish community.

“It’s way smaller than people think,” Bellan said, noting he relies on information from Statistics Canada for his estimation of 11,000 Jews in the Manitoba capital — down from its peak of about 20,000 in 1961.

People may think there are more “because we punch above our weight,” he said, adding there may be as many or more “ex-Winnipeg Jews in the world as there are Jews in Winnipeg.”

As for the future of the paper, Bellan isn’t sure. His readership is on the older side — “I can’t think of single subscriber under the age of 40” — and more people are going online for news.

Yet, he’s committed to print. The Post & News has a website, but the print edition gives the paper credibility, Bellan said, adding it’s hard to make money from a website.

As for Bellan himself, at 67, he’s ready to pass the business on to a younger person — if he can find someone. Those who have expressed interest back away when they hear the job description.

But he’s still having fun. “I still get a kick out of it. And it keeps me busy during the pandemic.”

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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