At the time, the notion seemed unfathomable to me. I was on the phone catching up with my old friend Michael Olesker, who called to check in on me. I was working at the post newspaper at Fort Meade, enjoying the opportunity to get a firsthand view of life on a military installation. But Michael knew my background (and heart) was still in Jewish journalism.
Frequently when I chat with Michael, he calls me “Kid,” an endearment I increasingly appreciate as the years roll by. But on this particular occasion, he addressed me by my surname, sounding like a grizzled newspaper editor.
“Feiler,” he asked, “don’t you know anyone who wants to start a Jewish publication in this town? Come on!”
I paused for a moment and chuckled. “Not offhand,” I responded. “You know starting a new publication is a monumental endeavor, especially nowadays. I don’t know anyone like that.”
But fate has a funny way of stepping in. Only a couple weeks later, I was having a cup of coffee with Jonathan Oleisky, another old friend, when he mentioned being approached by someone he knew about starting a Jewish community media venture.
That person was Dr. Scott Rifkin. Jonathan described Scott as a man of vision, compassion, means and limitless energy who believed in filling a niche when he saw a void. Scott had heard from many friends and associates in the community that Baltimore Jewry needed a new voice and vehicle to express itself and tell its stories.
That was the start of an incredible journey that — after many breakfast meetings, phone conversations, focus groups, advisory board gatherings and planning sessions over a roughly 18-month period — led to the birth of Jmore.
This month, we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Jmore, which published its inaugural issue in October of 2016. It’s an occasion and accomplishment we take tremendous pride in, and our gratitude to the community is boundless.
Starting a media entity in the 21st century is not for the faint of heart. For me personally, playing a role in the founding of Jmore has unquestionably been the highlight of my career, something for which I’ll always be indebted to our publisher, Scott, and my colleagues here. Out of virtually nothing we created this living, breathing organism, and to be part of it has been an exciting adventure.
When we produced our debut issue, Jmore was operating out of a century-old building that formerly housed the Grace-Hampden Methodist Episcopal Church. I recall holding that first “hot-off-the-presses” edition, flipping through the pages and saying to a colleague, “Wow, we have created a Jewish magazine — in a church no less!”
Since then, we’ve published 50 — yep, count ‘em, 50 — issues of Jmore, covering the life, times and breadth of one of America’s greatest Jewish communities. That’s in addition to our vibrant and dynamic website that produces fresh content on a daily basis.
There are many things for which we are grateful here at Jmore. But more than anything else, it’s been the overwhelming support, enthusiasm and love we’ve received from the community over the past five years. Since day one, our readers have frequently let us know how much they enjoy our publication and website. And even when they’re miffed about something we’ve written about, the criticism is almost always delivered in a spirit of civility and gratitude.
Allow me to conclude with a tidbit about another dear old friend. For 42 years, Janet Kurland was a fixture at Jewish Community Services, serving as the “go-to person” for all matters pertaining to the care and well-being of older adults.
Since retiring in 2018, Janet manages to keep active and enjoy herself and her family. She likes to maintain a busy schedule, but every time a new issue of Jmore comes out, she makes a point of shooting over an email, letting me know how much she and her friends enjoyed the most recent edition and encouraging us to “keep up the good work.”
That’s why we do what we do at Jmore. We’re constantly humbled and inspired by the appreciation and patronage of our readers and advertisers, and we thank you for the past five years.
And we look forward to many, many more years of telling the story of Jewish Baltimore.
Cruel, inappropriate, egomanical, outrageous and bullying are all attributes that pass for presidential these days, writes Michael Olesker.
Commemorations of the Holocaust must transcend the past to include concerns about the present and future, writes Menachem Z. Rosensaft.
Someone needed to tell Donald Trump that his appearance at a UFC fight over the weekend was not a good look, writes Michael Olesker.