Haaretz facts for kids
Haaretz (which means "The Land [of Israel]" in Hebrew) is a very old and important newspaper in Israel. It started way back in 1918, making it the longest-running newspaper still being printed in the country today. You can read Haaretz in both Hebrew and English.
The English version of Haaretz is even sold alongside The New York Times International Edition. Both the Hebrew and English versions are also available online. In North America, it's published once a week, combining articles from the Friday edition with news from the rest of the week.
Haaretz is known for its liberal and left-leaning views on issues both inside Israel and around the world. As of 2022, it was the third most-read newspaper in Israel. Many people around the world, especially those interested in Israel, read the English edition. Experts say Haaretz is highly respected for its news and opinions among Israeli daily newspapers.
Contents
The Story of Haaretz Newspaper
Haaretz first began in 1918. At that time, it was supported by the British military government in a region known as Palestine. In 1919, a group of people who believed in building a Jewish homeland and also supported workers' rights took over the newspaper.
The paper was officially started on June 18, 1919, by a group of business people, including a kind person named Isaac Leib Goldberg. It was first called Hadashot Ha'aretz, meaning "News of the Land." Later, its name was made shorter to just Haaretz. Many famous Hebrew writers of that time wrote for the newspaper's literature section.
Early Years and Moving to Tel Aviv
The newspaper was first published in Jerusalem. From 1919 to 1922, different editors led the paper. It even closed for a short time because it ran out of money. But it reopened in Tel Aviv at the beginning of 1923. Moshe Glickson became the editor and stayed in that job for 15 years. The city of Tel Aviv helped the newspaper financially by paying for future advertisements in advance.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Haaretz had liberal ideas. It was seen as the most advanced newspaper among the Jewish community's daily papers in Palestine.
Schocken Family Ownership
In December 1935, a Jewish businessman named Salman Schocken bought the newspaper. He had moved from Germany in 1934. Salman Schocken was part of a group called Brit Shalom, which supported Jews and Arabs living together peacefully. His son, Gershom Schocken, became the main editor in 1939 and stayed in that role until he passed away in 1990.
The Schocken family owned all of the Haaretz Group for a long time. Then, in August 2006, they sold a 25% share to a German publisher named M. DuMont Schauberg.
In June 2011, a Russian-Israeli businessman named Leonid Nevzlin bought a 20% share in the Haaretz Group. He bought 15% from the Schocken family and 5% from M. DuMont Schauberg. In December 2019, the Schocken family bought back all the shares that M. DuMont Schauberg owned. This meant the Schocken family now owned 75% of Haaretz, with Leonid Nevzlin owning the remaining 25%.
In October 2012, there was a one-day strike by the newspaper's workers. They were protesting against planned job cuts by the Haaretz management. This caused the newspaper and its business section, TheMarker, not to be printed that day. It was the first time since 1965 that the newspaper didn't go to print because of a strike.
Who Leads Haaretz?
The newspaper's main editorial direction was set by Gershom Schocken, who was the editor-in-chief from 1939 to 1990. After him, Hanoch Marmari took over. In 2004, David Landau became editor, followed by Dov Alfon in 2008. The current editor-in-chief of Haaretz is Aluf Benn, who started in August 2011. Charlotte Halle became the editor of the English print edition in February 2008.
Walter Gross was also an important part of the editorial team and a writer for the paper from 1951 to 1995.
What Haaretz Believes In
Haaretz says it has a "broadly liberal outlook" on issues both inside Israel and around the world. People often describe it as liberal, centre-left, or left-wing. It is seen as Israel's only major left-leaning newspaper.
The paper does not support Israel keeping control over the Palestinian territories and always supports efforts for peace. Haaretz also supports people in Israeli society who are less powerful, such as foreign workers, Israeli Arabs, and immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia.
In 2006, the BBC said that Haaretz has a balanced view on foreign policy and security. David Remnick from The New Yorker called Haaretz "easily the most liberal newspaper in Israel." He said its ideas are left-wing and it often challenges the government.
J. J. Goldberg, an editor from an American newspaper, described Haaretz as "Israel's most strongly anti-settlement daily paper." Stephen Glain called Haaretz "Israel's liberal beacon" because its articles often speak out against the occupation of territories and unfair treatment of Arab citizens.
A study in 2003 found that Haaretz's reporting on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict was more favorable to Israelis than to Palestinians, but less so than The New York Times.
How Haaretz Looks and Its Readers
Readership Numbers
In 2022, a survey showed that Haaretz was the newspaper with the third-largest number of readers in Israel. About 4.7% of Israelis read it. This was less than Israel Hayom (31%) and Yedioth Ahronoth (23.9%).
Newspaper Style
Haaretz uses smaller headlines and print compared to other big newspapers in Israel. It uses fewer pictures and focuses more on deep political analysis. The opinion articles are usually written by regular writers, not often by guest writers. Its opinion pages are considered very important among government leaders.
Besides news, Haaretz also publishes special articles on social and environmental topics. It includes book reviews, investigative reports (where journalists look deeply into a subject), and political comments. In 2008, the newspaper reported that it had 65,000 paid subscribers. It sold 72,000 copies daily and 100,000 on weekends. The English edition had 15,000 subscribers.
Haaretz Online
Haaretz has websites in both Hebrew and English. Both websites provide the latest breaking news, live question-and-answer sessions with important people from Israel, the Palestinian territories, and other places. They also have blogs that cover many different political views and opinions.
Lior Kodner, who leads digital media for the Haaretz Group, oversees both websites. Simon Spungin is the editor of Haaretz.com (the English site), and Avi Scharf is the editor of Haaretz.co.il (the Hebrew site).
Haaretz Offices
The main Haaretz building is located on Schocken Street in the southern part of Tel Aviv.
The old Haaretz building, used from 1932 to 1973, was designed by an architect named Joseph Berlin. It was taken down in the early 1990s. However, part of its front was saved and included in the new building at 56 Maza Street.
Writers and Journalists of Haaretz
Current Writers
- Ruth Almog – writes about literature
- Merav Arlosoroff – writes about the economy
- Zvi Barel – comments on Middle East affairs
- Omer Benjakob – writes about technology and Wikipedia
- Aluf Benn – the editor-in-chief
- Bradley Burston – political writer
- Amira Hass – reports on Palestinian affairs from Ramallah
- Avi Issacharoff – military reporter
- Gideon Levy – writes about Palestinian affairs
- Amir Oren – writes about military affairs
- Anshel Pfeffer – writes about politics and military
- Tom Segev – historian and political commentator
- Simon Spungin – Managing Editor of the English Edition
- Gadi Taub – political commentator
Past Writers
- Nathan Alterman (1910-1970)
- Moshe Arens – writer
- Amos Elon (1926-2009) – reporter and writer
- Sayed Kashua – satiric writer
- Yoel Marcus – political commentator
- Yossi Melman – former intelligence reporter
- Natasha Mozgovaya – former U.S. reporter
- Yossi Sarid (1940-2015) – politician and writer
- Ze'ev Schiff – military and defense expert
- Ari Shavit – political writer
- Benjamin Tammuz (1919-1989) – literary critic and writer
See also
- Culture of Israel
- Economy of Israel
- List of newspapers in Israel
