As we celebrate the eight nights of Chanukah, we also celebrate the eighth anniversary of Orange County Jewish Life. As always, we want to thank everybody who has been part of our existence, give you our editorial calendar for next year and describe our efforts to carry news, analysis and educational features about the Orange County Jewish community and the Jewish world to as many people as possible.
During the past year, we have attempted to broaden our global reach and attract new readers who are younger, more opinionated and – in some cases – not affiliated with the organized Jewish community. They may be on college campuses, they may be on Facebook or they may be wandering into the JCC looking for a good workout. For them, the latest gala at a synagogue may have little meaning, but they get as incensed as anyone else when rockets hit southern Israel. For members of the community who do want to know about the honorees and the day-to-day happenings in the area, we have your back too.
A year ago we promised to upgrade our efforts to reach out and touch people on our website, on Facebook and on Twitter. We’ve increased our reach on Facebook to provide news as it happens, and now we want to expand our website and create a blog that will make our publication more responsive and interactive.
Check out our website for calendar items and stories that happen after the deadline for our print issue, as well as expanded stories and up-to-the-minute news. Last year we promised to give you all the news and insight that’s fit to print, tweet or access on line. Now we’ll give you even more, with interactive response mechanisms that let us know we’ve reached you and how well we’re addressing your needs.
Please communicate with us on any of the above, as well as regular e-mail (ILENESCHNEIDER@aol.com) or phone (949/786-6270).
As always, we’re presenting our editorial calendar for the magazine for the coming year. Please take note of special issues, but feel free to submit ideas and suggestions anytime. As always, our deadlines for story ideas and photos are the first of the month preceding the month of the issue and for calendar listings, the eighth of the month preceding the month of the issue.
Orange County Jewish Life 2013 Editorial Calendar
Special Sections/Cover Stories
January – Education/ Worldwide Jihad
February – Weddings/ Israeli Election Analysis
March – Passover/ Defining the Woman’s Role (Women’s Voices and More)
April – Israel/ Israel Expo (Guide and Profiles)
May – Seniors/ Electronic Outreach to Judaism
June – Health/ Jewish Genetics
July – Jewish Athletes/Maccabi (Guide and Profiles)
August – Education/ Assimilation
September – High Holy Days/ Judaism and Hunger
October – Seniors/ Jewish Demographics
November – Chanukah/ Judaism and Politics
December – Camps/ Leaving a Legacy
Happy Chanukah and happy secular New Year to the Orange County Jewish community, in its many flavors, streams, and opinions. May we go forward to 2012 from strength to strength with many new ideas, many ways to cover the community and the Jewish world and the diversity that keeps life interesting.