The Arizona Jewish Post (AJP), like the Southern Arizona Jewish community, grew, blossomed, and transformed over the past 75 years. The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) honors and celebrates the rich history of the AJP and its special place in our community.
Timeline
A powerful team
Over the almost 75 years of publication, the Arizona Jewish Post has been strengthened and supported by the incredible staff. We are grateful for their hard work and contributions to our community. We extend our special thanks to Phyllis Braun, executive editor, for her 25 years of service.
Braun started with the AJP as an assistant editor in 1996, becoming executive editor in 2002. Prior to moving to Tucson in 1995, she was assistant copy chief at Pocket Books in New York, after working at the legendary Book of the Month Club.
Her dedication to integrity, hardworking attitude, and embodiment of Federation values have been consistent threads throughout her long tenure.
Making a change
JFSA announced that the AJP would be ceasing publication in February 2021 in part due to mounting budgetary pressures, exacerbated by the global pandemic, coupled with the shifting journalistic landscape. This move was made in consultation with and support from the Federation Board of Directors. This story was covered in a Jewish Telegraphic Agency article.
What comes next
Far from being retired or collecting dust, the Arizona Jewish Post will continue to live in many different forms.
As a matter of community history, the Federation is exploring avenues for preserving existing records of the Arizona Jewish Post publication. We will be collecting and cataloging physical and digital copies so that they can be referenced by current and future generations in an archive.
The archive will be a static reference point, an important reminder of this essential piece of communications history in Southern Arizona. But the most meaningful elements of the AJP – as expressed by community members in a variety of ways, including our 1,800-person community planning survey – will find home in new channels. These include lifecycle events, obituaries, and local news stories.
The face Southern Arizona Jewish community’s communications landscape continues to evolve. We look to a bright future of stories and simchas woven throughout a variety of different media. The newspaper that served Southern Arizona in 1946 will be reshaped into a modern vehicle; not under same name, but with the same spirit of togetherness and kehillah.
