‘Canadian Jewish News’ folds due to financial woes, COVID

The Canadian Jewish News announced on Thursday that it will fold due to financial troubles exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everywhere we have seen the devastating impact of COVID-19. It has attacked every aspect of life as we know it, and we are all struggling to cope with the upheaval,” said CJN president Elizabeth Wolfe in a piece on the outlet’s website. “We had hoped that the CJN could play some small role to inform, console and distract our readers as we all isolate at home, worried about our families, our friends, our medical caregivers, all those risking their lives to provide essential services, our businesses and livelihood, our community, our country, our world.”

“It is with great regret that we have realized that we will be unable to do so. Unfortunately, we too have become a victim of COVID-19,” she continued. “Already struggling, we are not able to sustain the enterprise in an environment of an almost complete economic shutdown. It is with deep sadness that we announce the closure of our beloved CJN, both in print and online.”

After 60 years, CJN’s April 9 edition will be its last. Both its print and online editions will cease operations. The staff was informed via a videoconference on Thursday of the closure.

CJN’s inaugural edition was printed on Jan. 1, 1960, serving the Toronto market before expanding into a Montreal bureau in 1976. As of September 2019, the weekly outlet had a total circulation of 31,752.

The paper almost shuttered in 2013, but was instead restructured and relaunched after receiving support from its readers.

“We have not been immune to the decline of the industry, although our decline has been slower than most. Our bottom line showed small profits early on, to start to rebuild our lost reserves, became barely break-even shortly thereafter, and then recently succumbed to increasing losses,” wrote Wolfe. “The economic devastation striking our community has also affected the CJN. The CJN suffered from a pre-existing condition and has been felled by COVID-19.”

Canadian Jewish organizations expressed sadness over the outlet’s closure.

Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, told JNS that his organization, “like all of the Canadian Jewish community, is deeply saddened by the developments with The Canadian Jewish News.”

“Over the 6 decades of its existence, the CJN has grown to become a valued source of information about news of special interest and importance to Canadian Jewry—both domestic and international. The CJN connected communities across the country, and equally important, gave many outside of the Jewish community—like those in the political sector—a window into activities within the Jewish community and the kinds of things that were being talked about.”

“For CIJA in particular, the CJN was a valued partner in connecting with our constituency and ensuring dynamic two-way information sharing,” he continued. “It was also a great platform for engaging the community in the advocacy effort and we will be hard-pressed to compensate for the loss of that asset.”

“We are so deeply saddened to see that the venerable Canadian Jewish News @TheCJN has announced its closure due to the economic instability brought on by #COVID19,” tweeted B’nai Brith Canada.

“The closing of the Canadian Jewish News (@CJN) is a loss to researchers, historians, and genealogists. Its life of 60 yrs, & 45 yrs of its predecessor, the Canadian Jewish Review, has been a tremendous resource for us all. Very sad news indeed,” tweeted the Jewish Genealogical Society of Toronto.