Looking forward to what brings us together

Daniel Margolis

Glenn Osmundson

Dear Readers,

I’m Daniel Margolis – you can call me Dan – and I’m excited to introduce myself to you as the new editor of Jewish Rhode Island (JRI).

First, and most importantly, I want to thank Fran Ostendorf. Looking at the many previous issues of JRI, I am sure that all our readers will join me in thanking her for the work she has done over the past 12 years. I thank her for all that she has taught and, I hope, will continue to teach me. Even though I only arrived here a few days ago, I’ve already learned a great deal from her.

Fran and I share something else in common: Chicago. She lived there for years, and I moved to Rhode Island from Chicago just before we put this issue to bed. While in Chicago, I worked for ADL, the Anti-Defamation League, as the associate regional director in charge of policy and advocacy for the Midwest. My role was to connect with mayors, legislators and governors on how best to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate.

Working specifically on antisemitism and extremism can be depressing, especially in dark times such as these. Still, I found things to bring me cheer, including the surprisingly broad array of leaders who want to take practical steps to combat anti-Jewish hate. The people I worked with ranged from extremely liberal Democratic legislators in Illinois to the conservative Republican governors of states like Indiana and Nebraska.

Of course, there are bad people on all sides, but I was happy to find that there were good people as well, people who could work together to support the Jewish community: people who love the president and people who hate him, people who support Israel in the current wars and people who think the war is a mistake; people who vote red and people who vote blue.

I hope that Jewish Rhode Island – both the publication and the community for which it was named – can continue to do that as well. I hope that we can focus not on the things that divide us, but on the things that bring us together. Still, I hope we don’t shy away from areas where we disagree. I believe that we can lead the country by discussing and debating these matters in a way that ultimately unites, despite our differences. Fran has done a great job in this respect – this is one of the many things I’ll try to do as well as she has.

Aside from having worked in the Jewish community, I have spent time in the editorial world. I was an editor at Oxford University Press, handling online resources and print encyclopedias. Also in New York City, I worked as a news editor and journalist, covering everything from local community issues to the heads-of-state gatherings at the United Nations.

I should mention that, despite my time in Illinois and NYC (and also in Iowa!) I am only partially a transplant to New England. I was born and spent my first couple of decades in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was living there just before I took the ADL job in Chicago. I have been on the board of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts and – in a role I would never have expected! – was for a couple of years the executive director of the B’nai B’rith Cemetery in Worcester. A big part of the reason I’m here is that I missed living in southern New England.

Thank you for reading. Please don’t hesitate to let me know what you think of how we’re doing, as well as any suggestions you have and things you’d like to write! Contact me at dmargolis@jewishallianceri.org or via mail at 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

Daniel Margolis