Moment (magazine)

Moment

Moment, September/October 2011
Editor Nadine Epstein
Managing Editor Sarah Breger
Former editors Leonard Fein
Hershel Shanks
Categories Religion, Politics, Culture[1]
Frequency Bi-monthly[1]
Circulation 65,000[1]
Publisher Nadine Epstein
Founder Elie Wiesel
Leonard Fein
Year founded May 1975
First issue 1975
Company Center for Creative Change
Country United States
Based in Washington, D.C.[1]
Language English
Website momentmag.com
ISSN 0099-0280
OCLC number 610402552

Moment is an American independent, non-profit magazine. While the publication is a secular journal, material is targeted toward readership with interests related to Jewish culture. The magazine is a publishing project of the Washington D.C.-based Center for Creative Change.

History

Moment magazine was founded in 1975, by Elie Wiesel and Leonard Fein, who served as the magazine's first editor from 1975 to 1987. Hershel Shanks served as the editor from 1987 to 2004.[2] The magazine was named in honor of an independent Yiddish-language newspaper, entitled Der Moment.[3][4][5] Founded in Warsaw in 1910, Der Moment remained in operation until the eve of Yom Kippur 1939, when the building housing the newspaper was destroyed by a German bomb. At the time, the publication was one of two Yiddish-language newspapers in the city.[1][6]

Background

Moment magazine is a secular, independent journal that publishes articles on Jewish culture, politics, and religion.[3] While the magazine is owned by the Center for Creative Change, it is not affiliated with any Jewish organization or religious movement: its editorial staff, writers, and articles represent a diverse range of political views.[1][4] As of 2004, Nadine Epstein is the editor and executive publisher.[7][8]

Programs

Israel's Arab Citizens

Beginning in Moment‍ '​s September/October 2009 issue, the special series "Israel's Arab Citizens" has examined aspects of the social, economic, and cultural life of the 1.5 million Arab citizens of the State of Israel. The first installment, written by New York Times and Associated Press reporter Dina Kraft, profiled three generations of Arab Israeli women, titled "From Arab to Palestinian Israeli: One Family's Changing Identity".

The second, "Separate But Not Equal", which appeared in the September/October 2010 issue, examined the performance of Arab Israeli children in segregated public schools. "Separate But Not Equal" tied for first place in the Best Investigative News category of the Ethnic Media Awards, sponsored by the American University School of Communication and New America Media.[9][10]

Editor and executive publisher Nadine Epstein wrote of her motivation for initiating the series and the importance of focusing attention on the Arab Israelis in a letter from the editor:

Our lack of knowledge has serious consequences: I regularly meet Jews and non-Jews who view Israel's Arab citizens as, at best, suspect and at worst, terrorists. The reality is that this is a largely peaceful population—very few have been associated with terrorism—with a complex identity. They speak Hebrew, sometimes even better than Arabic, and many vote in Israeli elections. They support a Palestinian state, but their lives are in Israel and most have no intention or desire to leave. At the same time, they are often considered collaborators by some of their Arab brethren.[11]
Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative

In 2010, Moment launched the Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative (DPIJI), which gives grants to young journalists doing stories on modern anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice. The DPIJI is in memory of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter, who was murdered by terrorists while on assignment in Pakistan in 2002.

The Karma Foundation-Moment Magazine Fiction Contest

The contest is a short-fiction competition open to writers of any faith, writing about stories related to Judaism, Jewish Culture, or Jewish History. The contest is funded by the Karma Foundation and was started in the year 2000 by Josh Rolnick and Harvey TK.

Honors and awards

In 2011, Moment was presented with the Be'chol Lashon Media Award for Carl Hoffman's article entitled "Letter from the Philippines", which chronicles the history of the island's Jews and his rediscovery of Judaism as a foreigner living in Manila.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Karesh, Sara E.; and Mitchell M. Hurvitz (2005). Encyclopedia of Judaism, Infobase Publishing, page 337. ISBN 978-0816069828
  2. ↑ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0018_0_18181.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Howe, Irving (2010). Politics and the Intellectual: Conversations with Irving Howe, Purdue University Press, page 27. ISBN 978-1557535511
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baskin, Judith R. (2011). The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism and Jewish Culture, Cambridge University Press, page 472. ISBN 978-0521825979
  5. ↑ Shanks, Hershel (2010). Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls: And Other Adventures of an Archaeology Outsider, Continuum, page 118. ISBN 978-1441152176
  6. ↑ "YIVO | Moment, Der". Yivoencyclopedia.org. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Staff". momentmag.com. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Living in the Moment". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ Crowe, Adell (February 17, 2011). "SOC Co-Hosts Ethnic Media Awards | American University School of Communication". American.edu. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Muslim Media Honored in Nation’s Capital". Azmuslimvoice.info. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  11. ↑ Letter from the Editor, Nadine Epstein, September/October 2009 at the Wayback Machine (archived March 25, 2012)
  12. ↑ 2010 Winners: Dr. Carl Hoffman, Tamás Wormser, Nicole Opper & Dr. Carolivia Herron at the Wayback Machine (archived March 24, 2012)