Kol Ha'Ir

Kol Ha'Ir was a Jerusalem weekly founded in 1979 and the first publication of the Schocken local-newspaper network, described in the source material as Israel's first local-newspaper chain. For decades it was a leading source of news about Jerusalem and its surroundings. Its importance, however, extended beyond municipal reporting: it helped establish a new model of local journalism that combined practical information for residents with investigations, exclusive interviews, in-depth features, and sustained scrutiny of public power.

Creating a new kind of local newspaper

The newspaper grew out of the staff of the Jerusalem local paper Yerushlaton and appeared for the first time under the name Kol Ha'Ir on August 10, 1979. It was distributed in Jerusalem and nearby communities on Fridays. At first it was free, with revenue based mainly on advertising and classified notices. Before local radio, online news, and digital advertising, it offered local businesses a relatively inexpensive way to reach a focused urban readership, and it quickly became successful.

Beginning in 1984, the paper was sold rather than distributed free of charge, although advertising remained its main source of income. Its first editor, Yossi Klein, shaped its design on the model of the New York weekly Village Voice, combining substantial editorial content with prominent advertising. This structure allowed Kol Ha'Ir to operate as both a commercial publication and a newspaper with a distinctive editorial identity.

Roni Aran served as the paper's general manager and later became chief executive of the entire Schocken network. The newsroom initially operated from a modest apartment on Reḥov Rabbi Akiva, beside Independence Park in central Jerusalem. After the building was sold and later demolished for a residential tower, the newsroom moved to the Sha'arei Yerushalayim complex near Jerusalem's central bus station.

Local reporting with national influence

During the 1980s, Kol Ha'Ir developed a national reputation as a high-quality, campaigning, nonconformist, and anti-establishment newspaper. Its investigations, exclusive interviews, and detailed features gave local journalism unusual public weight. At the time it became Israel's fourth-largest newspaper by weekend circulation. In Jerusalem itself, its Friday sales exceeded those of every national newspaper, including Yedioth Ahronoth.

Its success prompted Yedioth Ahronoth to establish a competing Jerusalem paper, Kol Yerushalayim, founded and edited by journalist and author Chaim Shibi. The rival paper was distributed free with Yedioth Ahronoth. The Schocken network appealed to the Antitrust Commissioner, arguing that the arrangement created unfair competition by using the national paper's circulation advantage. In 2000, after years of proceedings, the claim was rejected on the grounds that bundling a local paper with its parent newspaper was a commercially accepted practice. Kol Ha'Ir was also distributed as a local supplement of Haaretz.

In July 2002, Anshil Pfeffer, then Haaretz's correspondent on the ultra-Orthodox community, was appointed editor of Kol Ha'Ir. The appointment generated public discussion and opposition from left-wing activists. Pfeffer left after about a year and returned to Haaretz, where he became an education correspondent.

Organizational change and digital expansion

In 2008, as part of a cost-cutting and rebranding plan at the Schocken network, the newspaper's Jerusalem offices were closed. The newsroom was merged with the offices of Ha'Ir and the network's central staff in Tel Aviv. In 2009, the entire local-newspaper operation moved into the Haaretz Group headquarters on Schocken Street in Tel Aviv.

As part of the rebranding, the newspaper was renamed Ha'Ir–Jerusalem, following a similar pattern used for other publications in the network. Several years later, the rebranding was abandoned and the original name, Kol Ha'Ir, returned. The paper launched an independent website under that name, and its electronic edition became available free of charge. Later editions included Kol Ha'Ir Modi'in and Kol Ha'Ir Beit Shemesh, as well as a news section covering Ma'ale Adumim.

At the end of 2021, ownership of Kol Ha'Ir passed to Avi Solomon, who had previously served as chief executive of the Schocken network.

Investigations, revelations, and legal battles

The newspaper's public influence was especially visible in investigations and revelations concerning municipal government, politics, security, and the relationships between public officials, powerful interests, and the media. Some reports led to defamation suits and other legal proceedings. Together, they demonstrated how a local newsroom could place Jerusalem stories on Israel's national agenda.

Ehud Olmert and Jerusalem politics

During Ehud Olmert's tenure as mayor of Jerusalem, Kol Ha'Ir was one of his sharpest critics. Ahead of the 1993 municipal elections, the paper revealed a secret agreement between Olmert and representatives of ultra-Orthodox parties. It later reported in real time on the Holyland project, including its proposed planning, unusually high building percentages, and changes of land-use designation. The newspaper also covered Olmert's frequent and lengthy trips abroad.

Olmert responded by imposing an advertising boycott on the paper and barring the municipality from placing advertisements in it. In 2002, editor Yosef Cohen sued Olmert for defamation after Olmert had repeatedly described him as a “criminal offender.” Cohen won, and Olmert was ordered to pay 10,000 shekels in damages. In 2004, the Schocken network and then-editor Anshil Pfeffer filed another defamation suit over remarks Olmert made during a city-council finance committee meeting. Olmert later apologized to the newspaper at the final council meeting of his mayoral term.

The Nimrodi investigation

In 1994, Birnat Goren, the paper's correspondent for law and media, published an investigation into Maariv publisher Ofer Nimrodi. Appearing shortly after the exposure of the wiretapping affair known as “Nimrodi Affair A,” the report concerned allegations that Nimrodi pressured advertisers by threatening to publish investigations about them. The article focused in part on attorney and journalist Ronal Fisher, who was quoted in this context. Nimrodi sued Goren and Kol Ha'Ir for five million shekels. The case ended in a settlement.

Revealing the existence of Sayeret Rimon

In 1995, journalist Yigal Mosko published in Kol Ha'Ir the first report revealing the existence of Sayeret Rimon, a unit that operated in the Gaza Strip during the 1970s. The report provoked public controversy and brought the unit's activities and their consequences into public discussion. Two years later, Daniel Okov, who had murdered two tourists on the road to Eilat without identifying a motive, claimed that his service in the unit had affected his mental state. In 2001, Okov was recognized as a disabled veteran of the Israel Defense Forces.

Reports concerning the Netanyahu family

In May 1995, Yoav Kaveh published an investigation titled “Benjamin Netanyahu's Discounts.” It included accounts from Jerusalem restaurateurs and business owners concerning unpaid bills or discounts reportedly given to Netanyahu, then leader of the opposition, worth thousands of shekels. In October 2000, the paper reported that Sara Netanyahu had sued Avner Amadi concerning the possession of her property, while Amadi claimed that the Netanyahu couple had avoided paying for his services. The report became known as the Amadi affair.

The Kafr Salem affair

In 1988, journalist Yizhar Be'er revealed in Kol Ha'Ir the burial of four Palestinians at Kafr Salem near Nablus. The report led to an investigation by the Military Police and to the prosecution of those responsible in a military court. The affair illustrated the newspaper's role as a critical outlet willing to publish information of public importance, including stories involving sensitive institutions.

Journalists and writers

Over the years, Kol Ha'Ir employed journalists and editors who went on to contribute to Israeli journalism. Their work gave them a close vantage point on Jerusalem, its institutions, and its diverse communities, while often turning local events into matters of national significance.

Why Kol Ha'Ir belongs in Moreshet

Kol Ha'Ir merits a place in the heritage of Israeli journalism because it was far more than a commercial local paper. It created a successful model of urban reporting, connected residents' everyday needs with public accountability, and gave Jerusalem's businesses and communities an accessible platform at a time when local radio, the internet, and social media did not yet exist.

Through investigations of mayors, controversial development projects, security affairs, and the conduct of public figures, the newspaper showed that a local newsroom could influence national debate and the work of public institutions. Its story is an important chapter in the development of Israeli media, civic life, and public memory. That is why it belongs in Moreshet and Moreshet.com, an archive that documents the institutions and initiatives that have shaped Jewish and Israeli life and the ways those achievements are remembered.