In My Own Words: Countdown

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

My last day as executive editor of The Reporter is scheduled to be December 31 of this year. As of the date of this issue (January 24), I have 11 months and one week remaining before I retire. (When I talk to people, I usually add the number of hours and minutes, but, since I don’t know when you’ll be reading this, there is no way to give you an exact count.) Before people start bemoaning what they might see as the end of the paper, they should note that while I am its public face, its workings should be compared to an iceberg: I’m the part you see, but the majority of the work (layout, advertising, bookkeeping, graphics and more) is done by others. I’ve also promised to continue writing my columns if that’s OK with whoever becomes the next executive editor (the writing is the fun part of the job).

I am proud of the paper we put out, but it’s more than time to pass the baton to someone new for a variety of reasons, some of which are personal. I’ve been facing additional health issues this year that make sitting at a computer all day difficult. I’m also tired: I’ve never had a ton of energy, but have known how to conserve it and use it best. That is getting more difficult as I age, especially as we increasingly face financial issues, such as making payroll and paying our bills. In fact, the only reason I didn’t retire at the end of 2024 is because I don’t have a pension and it makes a real difference in the amount of Social Security I’ll receive if I wait until I’m eligible for the maximum amount.

I’ve been encouraging The Reporter Editorial Committee to consider a variety of options for the future of the paper. Although I prefer hard-copy versions of almost everything, the world is changing and leaving me behind. The idea of the paper someday being completely online leaves me cold. I doubt I’ll read it any more than I used to read the e-mailed version of my synagogue newsletter. So, while I know digital is the future, it’s not my future. The paper needs someone who can believe in, and uses, devices as a matter of course. It also wouldn’t hurt to have someone who hears well enough to do in-person or phone interviews, something I can’t do with my hearing impairment.

There is also something else the committee needs to consider: There is no way that The Reporter can compete with other online newspapers. They update articles daily, so there are almost always new things to look at. We simply don’t have – and can’t afford – the staff for that. That means looking for sponsors for the website, rather than advertisers, because I don’t think our numbers can compete with other websites. It’s possible, though, that an executive editor with a different vision of the future can change that: it just won’t be me. As for other aspects of the paper (bookkeeping, advertising, etc.), I am trying to educate the Federation and committee members about just how much work goes on behind the scenes, something that still surprises most of them. Plus, our bookkeeper/advertising representative is planning to retire at the same time I do. To keep things moving, there absolutely has to be a plan in motion to replace us well before we both vacate our desks.

Will there continue to be a Reporter? Will the paper become a monthly one or appear only online with periodic e-mail blasts to tell readers when new material appears? Will the Federation just hire someone to handle its publicity? I won’t be the one to determine that and that’s OK. I don’t have the vision for that. That is the job of the committee members; they need to think about the future in those terms.

As for my retirement... If you’re thinking I’ll get bored, that’s highly unlikely. I plan to keep my chaplaincy work and would love to do some serious study for which I don’t have the energy after a long day. I also have a bucket list: I want to read all the books on the bookcases I haven’t had a chance to read yet. That could take years! But seriously, decisions need to be made before I step down and, again, I am not the one who should be making them.