Jews and Judaism in The New York Times

For over a century, the New York Times has been America’s primary source of reliable information. In this volume Christopher Vecsey explores its coverage of Jews and Jewish issues over a thirty year span, from 1970 through to 2000. Vecsey himself has a connection to the newspaper: his brother George serving as one of its sports reporters for many years. . . .Certainly the inherently useful compilation of data in the coverage of Jewish topics and personalities in the news is deserving of praise. * Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews *
While The New York Times itself has been subject to a number of book-length and monograph studies, both academic and not, this is a rare book-length account of the paper’s Jewish aspects. The author, a theology professor at Colgate University, New York, is at his best in discussing the religious dimensions of his topic…. The author succeeds in presenting a coherent picture drawing upon the mass of articles and…. skillfully weaves together an interesting contemporary mosaic of Jews and Judaism in general and in the U.S. in particular as expressed through the newspaper’s pages. * Communication Research Trends *
Christoper Vecsey, erudite in matters of journalism, Judaism and Jews, is a brilliant analyst of how the New York Times, in representing the wide range of Jewish experience, has played a powerful role in constructing and transmitting it. An exhilarating read, from start to finish. -- Vanessa Ochs, University of Virginia
Because of its founding by Adolph Ochs, a Jew from Chattanooga, and the presence of numerous Jews on staff as reporters since World War II, The New York Times has been accused by some of its critics as presenting a much too favorable and skewed look at Judaism and Israel. In his balanced study of the inner workings of this world class newspaper, Christopher Vecsey shows that The New York Times initially avoided coverage of Jewish subjects, was slow to cover the Holocaust, did not support the establishment of Israel immediately after World War II, and limited bylines for reporters of Jewish faith until the 1950s. He is especially effective in analyzing how The New York Times covered Black-Jewish relations since the 1960s, and more recently, how divisions within the Jewish community were portrayed. In his beautifully written work, Vecsey is especially effective in his treatment of legendary newsmen A. M. Rosenthal and Max Frankel as well as Ari Goldman, Thomas Friedman and others, carefully analyzing how their Judaism affected their writings. -- Laurence M. Hauptman, The State University of New York
This is a book about jews and Judaism in the greatest Jewish newspaper at the end of what has been called the ‘Jewish century.’ Vecsey mines journalism on Jews and Judaism in the New York Times to present an exhaustive portrait of the issues that have preoccupied American Jews. The lens of New York Times reporting is largely New York and American, but the issues covered range from the Holocaust to the state of Israel, to Jewish Feminism and the varied movements and sects of religious life. Beyond these core issues, however, the book also brings us to deep insights into the roles of Jews in American society, politics, economics, culture, art, humor, and media. Vecsey’s book considers the Jewishness of the Times itself and offers the fascinating insight that the paper’s penchant to focus and refocus, comment and re-comment on an issue has a parallel to the greatest Jewish book of all—the Talmud! -- Steven Kepnes, Colgate University