HaModi'a

HaModi'a is Israel's oldest daily Haredi newspaper and, for decades, has been one of the principal media institutions serving the Haredi public. It was established on the 18th of Elul 5710 (1950) by Yitzhak Meir Levin, president of the World Agudath Israel, as the newspaper and public voice of Agudath Israel.

Its significance lies in more than its longevity. Through a daily newspaper, editions in several languages and distribution among Haredi communities in Israel and abroad, HaModi'a created a durable channel for news, commentary and communal information. It helped shape public conversation within Haredi society while maintaining links among communities, institutions and religious leadership in Israel and across the Jewish world.

A Name Rooted in Jewish Press History

The newspaper's name preserves the memory of an earlier publication called HaModi'a, which appeared in Poltava from 1910 to 1915 under the editorship of Rabbi Eliyahu Akiva Rabinowitz. The Israeli newspaper thus connected a new postwar institution with the tradition of Agudath Israel journalism in Eastern Europe and with the effort to create Jewish media serving an observant public.

From its establishment, the newspaper was owned by the World Executive Committee of Agudath Israel, the central body of the worldwide Agudath Israel movement. In its early years, Yehuda Leib Levin, the founder's son, served as chief editor. Over time, the newspaper developed a substantial editorial and administrative structure, one that had to sustain a daily publication while responding to changing public needs and difficult economic conditions.

Editorial Leadership and Institutional Development

In 1958, Yitzhak Meir Levin and his son appointed Chaim Moshe Knopf as the newspaper's administrative manager. The editors at that time included Moshe Akiva Druk and Yisrael Shpigl. Financial difficulties led to the newspaper's conversion into a limited company, with 49 percent sold to its employees. The arrangement reflected the practical challenge of maintaining a daily newspaper and securing its institutional continuity.

After the death of the first editor, Knopf, Druk and Shpigl were appointed joint chief editors with equal standing. Their arrangement represented the three principal centers of power within Agudath Israel at the time. Shpigl later left and joined Yated Ne'eman, having become identified with Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach's camp, while Druk, who had been associated with Menachem Porush, died. Knopf, a Gur Hasid, remained as the sole editor and manager. His son Elazar later became deputy chief executive and eventually chief executive.

Because the newspaper was edited for many years by members of the Gur Hasidic community, it was widely perceived as particularly associated with Gur Hasidism. Similar perceptions contributed to the establishment of the competing Haredi newspaper Hamavasser in 2009. The development illustrated the importance of newspapers in representing different currents within Haredi society and in shaping its public agenda.

A Daily Voice Within a Distinctive Religious World

HaModi'a's slogan is “The Daily Newspaper of Haredi Judaism.” The newspaper is guided by a council of rabbis, and its editorial character reflects the distinctive conventions of Haredi journalism. Alongside news and information, it conveys communal, religious and public perspectives rooted in the institutions and values of the Haredi world.

Its style has generally been described as restrained, and it usually avoids reporting political intrigues. In this respect, HaModi'a serves a role that extends beyond ordinary news reporting. It offers readers a shared framework for understanding events and provides continuity between families, communities, educational institutions, political structures and religious leadership.

International Editions and Community Connections

In the 1980s, Agudath Israel in the United States began publishing an English-language weekly also called HaModi'a. From 2003, the English publication became a daily, while weekly English editions have been published in Israel, the United Kingdom and Australia. Ruth Lichtenstein has served as editor of the English-language HaModi'a since its founding. She is the granddaughter of the founder of the original Israeli HaModi'a and the daughter of its first editor.

A French-language weekly is also published in France and Israel. These editions extended the newspaper's reach beyond Israel and helped sustain a shared communications network among Haredi communities speaking different languages. The newspaper is distributed through Bar Marketing and Distribution.

Financial and Administrative Challenges

Like many long-established media institutions, HaModi'a has faced significant financial and administrative challenges. In 2014, the newspaper encountered financial difficulties and attempts were made to sell it. It was ultimately sold to its chief executive, Elazar Knopf, who was a member of the association, and to his business partner and relative by marriage, businessman Chaim Schachter; both were associated with the Gur Hasidic community.

In July 2019, Knopf was removed from his position following a report by the Registrar of Associations, which required the change as a condition for the association's continued existence. In August 2020, the Registrar of Associations sought the dissolution of the association operating the newspaper because of serious irregularities in its management. These events form an important part of the newspaper's institutional history and underline the continuing effort required to sustain a major daily publication in a changing media and economic environment.

Reach and Public Influence

According to a 2016 TGI survey, HaModi'a had a reported exposure rate of 16.3 percent among Israel's Haredi population for midweek newspapers and 16.2 percent for weekend editions. The figures indicate the newspaper's substantial presence within Haredi media and its ability to reach a broad audience in the society it serves.

Why HaModi'a Belongs in Moreshet

HaModi'a merits inclusion in Moreshet because it documents and embodies a central chapter in the development of Haredi journalism in Israel and throughout the Jewish world. Since 1950, it has provided a sustained platform for news, public commentary and communal life within Agudath Israel and the Haredi public. Through its pages, many communities have interpreted events, followed institutional developments and maintained contact with related communities abroad.

Its continuity, multilingual editions, international reach and significant readership make it an important subject for understanding modern Haredi Jewish life. Preserving its history on Moreshet.com safeguards more than the story of a newspaper: it preserves the story of institutions, leaders and communities that shaped a significant part of Jewish and Israeli life during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.