A reader of Midstream recently asked me why we do not print some short items of a paragraph or two giving human-interest accounts of unusual happenings in the lives of well-known Jewish celebrities. The question provoked a parallel line of thought in me. In past editorials, especially those few (two in number) in which I made an appeal for monetary contributions, I consistently dwelled on the glories of Midstream. I recited a litany of substantial content that appeared in our journal—articles on Israeli events and controversial issues and on Jewish concerns in the Diaspora, especially in vibrant American Jewish life. But I never dealt with what Midstream does not contain. So here goes, with few apologies.
As snobbish as it may sound, we consider ourselves an intellectual American/Jewish journal. We do not publish mini-items that frequently border on gossip or even on Jewish self-congratulation. We are not a tabloid newspaper or a glossy celebrity-ridden magazine. We do not include photographs, illustrations, or color reproductions, though for a different reason. We cannot afford them, even when they might clarify a learned text. Our articles usually run from 2,000 to 4,000 words; sometimes our fiction hits 5,000 and a bit beyond. These parameters avoid the inordinate length of essays in some publications, but also the superficial vignette and the ubiquitous paragraph of vapid chit-chat.
We can never overemphasize that we do not print diatribes, vulgarities, blatant and gross signs of destructive partisanship in our political essays. Yes, we might include a yimach sh’mo v’zichro in reference to a Haman or a Hitler, but we do not tolerate venom where honest disagreement ought to rule among men and women of good will. The words I use to set limits on our political pieces—be they authored by writers on the Left or the Right—are responsible debate within a shared Zionist commitment to the survival of the Jewish State of Israel. That is the essential part of our mission. There are other Jewish journals that are almost exclusively on the Left or on the Right. We try—not always successfully— to cover all major Zionist views.
We have forgotten sometimes to emphasize other types of articles besides political analysis and controversy that appear frequently in Midstream—Holocaust memoirs, essays on Jewish/American history, review essays on Jewish writers, musicians, and artists, and midrashic and scholarly studies on Biblical and Talmudic texts. We are probably the only magazine that in separate articles in one issue (November/December 2005) dealt with Freud, Kabbalah, and Svengali, lehavdil, at the same time that other articles analyzed Hamas’ violation of international law, past Jewish wars of liberation, shocking Protestant attempts at disinvestment from Israel, and the consequences of Israel’s disengagement from Gaza. What is more, there are always the good fiction on Jewish themes, poetry with Jewish allusions or metaphors, and reviews of current books of Jewish interest.
That’s the pitch. Now it’s your turn to bat a home run for Midstream. We call once again upon all our readers to subscribe to Midstream, to renew subscriptions, and to urge your friends and relatives to do so too. We call upon all who submit manuscripts to Midstream, not only to hope for acceptance of your work, which is quite understandable, but also to subscribe and thereby vote with your pocketbooks for the survival of this inimitable publication that is so receptive to American/Jewish authors. (As noted last year, we also publish excellent work written by gentile friends of the Jewish people and Israel. Our September/October issue this past year contained a symposium on the revised Catholic doctrine vis-a-vis the Jews with Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish participants in our printed discussion.) We urge all synagogue libraries, Jewish schools, and university libraries to subscribe to Midstream. Im ein ani li, mi li? Our plural elaboration in English is: If we are not for ourselves, who will be for us?
And finally, we hope to set up a special page again, to appear from time to time in our publication, that will list those of our friends who are generous enough to support us with a tax-deductible contribution. Your financial support will undoubtedly help assure the existence of a publication vital to American-Jewish life and letters. Just like last year, all contributors will also receive letters of acknowledgment and thanks. Here are the designations of honor that we intend to list with gratitude:
Friend: $36 to $99
Supporter: $100 to $499
Associate: $500 to $999
Patron: $1,000 to $4,999
Benefactor: $5,000 and above
Please do not be terrified by the largest sums listed above. We will gladly accept any contribution, however small, with equal gratitude. Todah rabbah
Leo Haber, Editor
Midstream
P.S. Please make checks payable to The Theodor Herzl Foundation/Midstream, and address your tax-deductible contributions to The Theodor Herzl Foundation/Midstream, 633 Third Avenue / 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017.
About the author
Leo Haber is editor of Midstream. His novel, The Red Heifer, was recently published by Syracuse University Press.