Journalism can be a lousy business. A year ago at this time the Canadian Jewish News had just staved off closure.Folks I know in the Montreal office breathed a huge sigh of relief, especially veteran reporters Janice Arnold and David Lazarus.
At the head office in Toronto, a young new editor named Yoni Goldstein was hired and the look of the paper got an attractive facelift. However, over the last few months it was clear to readers here that there was far less Montreal content than before. I worried for my friends Janice and David.
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| David Lazarus |
Well on Friday June 13 (yes Friday the 13th) David Lazarus was given his dreaded pink slip after 30 years on the job. "I am not taking it personally; it was all part of the ongoing 're-structuring' at the paper," David shared with me. "A day earlier Jeff Rosen in Toronto was also let go after 30 years in editorial. The only catch is that there now is only one full time English language reporter in Montreal in Janice, so she has to handle everything all by herself."
On his 30 years with the paper, he notes, "I have been writing and covering every imaginable sort of Jewish community story: hard news, features, sports, human interest, obituaries, analytical comment, community event publicity and coverage, tribute dinners and annual meetings. I have travelled to Israel, the U.S., Mexico, and elsewhere, most recently in November, 2012 to Ben-Gurion University for a series of articles."
On his 30 years with the paper, he notes, "I have been writing and covering every imaginable sort of Jewish community story: hard news, features, sports, human interest, obituaries, analytical comment, community event publicity and coverage, tribute dinners and annual meetings. I have travelled to Israel, the U.S., Mexico, and elsewhere, most recently in November, 2012 to Ben-Gurion University for a series of articles."
David Lazarus is an incredibly gifted writer and I hope he winds up working somewhere again soon, either in journalism or public relations.
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