Zarkor

Zarkor is a Haredi children's and youth newspaper founded in 1967. Over the decades, it became a familiar part of the cultural and educational world of Haredi children and teenagers, offering a weekly combination of fiction, Torah commentary, religious thought, poetry, puzzles, creative activities and practical features. Its significance lies not only in what it printed, but in the reading and writing culture it built around young readers.

Creating a new Haredi reading space

Until the mid-1960s, Haredi literature consisted largely of stories about righteous figures and Hasidim, Hebrew adaptations of Talmudic legends, Yiddish literature and adventure stories for older readers. The youth weekly HaModi'a HaTza'ir had ceased publication in 1959. During the late 1960s, Haredi publishers and youth movements began developing new formats for children's literature and contemporary fiction.

Zarkor emerged in this setting. It was launched in 1967 by the volunteer organization Pe'ilim Me'Arצות הברית—“Activists from the United States”—which worked with young people. The name was symbolic: its founders intended the paper to spread Torah like the focused light of a spotlight. For approximately its first year, it was a duplicated booklet used for the organization's educational work. It then became a printed monthly.

From educational booklet to established weekly

In 1968, the organization concluded that publishing had become too heavy a responsibility and transferred the work to the Torah Dissemination Movement. Rabbi Moshe Ben-Yishar, coordinator of the movement's youth activities department, became editor. Under his direction, the monthly became a fortnightly publication, and he recruited writers including Shmuel Argaman, Rivka Shazori and Hadassah Areshet, several of whom later became known as authors.

The paper changed its slogan from “An illustrated newspaper for children and youth” to “The newspaper for the young reader.” After approximately eight years, in 1977, it became a weekly. This transition established Zarkor as a regular part of the reading week rather than simply a publication supporting youth activities.

In 1982, Rabbi Ben-Yishar passed the editorship to Shoshana Hochwald, who held the position for more than three decades. He continued writing the weekly Torah portion column until his death. One of the features associated with him, Saba Yehoshua, presented the weekly portion and appeared for roughly forty years, giving the paper a continuous and recognizable religious voice.

A platform for Haredi literature and young writers

Zarkor became an important platform for contemporary Haredi fiction. It published short stories and serials, and its publishing house produced dozens of books based on stories that had first appeared in its pages. Among the best-known were books by Shmuel Argaman. Other serials and stories originating in the paper were later published by outside publishing houses.

The paper also encouraged readers to become writers. During Rabbi Ben-Yishar's editorship, it organized a recruitment drive for young reporters known as Amit, an acronym for “trainee journalist.” Selected contributors were invited to the editorial office, received certificates and were encouraged to continue submitting articles. Among those whose writing was published through this initiative were journalist Aharon Granot and Sarah Kisner. In this way, Zarkor functioned as an informal first school of writing, reporting and initiative for young readers.

Two levels of reading

The newspaper is divided into “two floors.” The first is intended for children, and the second for teenagers. The children's section is largely vowel-pointed and includes Torah material connected to the weekly portion, stories for different age groups, serials, workshops, activities and short comics with an educational message. The youth section includes contemporary religious ethics, changing stories, serial fiction and prize puzzles.

Other regular features have included poems, recipes, letters and creative work by readers, crosswords, quizzes and games, analyses of drawings and handwriting, articles on current topics and replies to readers' letters. Enlarged issues appear during holidays and the summer vacation. Before Sukkot and Passover, the paper has also published special supplements for teenagers devoted to a topic connected with the holiday.

The paper has avoided commercial advertising for educational reasons. It once carried an advertising page, later replaced by promotion from the editorial staff, and eventually discontinued that as well. Its treatment of current affairs and politics has generally been limited, usually taking the form of explanations of news-related concepts for young readers. Rather than focusing on violence, crime or family problems, the paper has emphasized fiction, Torah, creativity and community life. One subject that sometimes received prominent coverage was the death of a well-known rabbi.

Financial crises and renewal

At the end of 2001, the editors announced that financial difficulties might force the paper to close. A campaign by readers enabled it to reopen, and publication resumed after an interruption of approximately one month. About two years later, the publisher changed: an association established for this purpose replaced the Torah Dissemination Movement. The editorial offices moved, and the publishing-house activity associated with the paper was discontinued.

Following further financial difficulties, ownership changed, and in the winter of 2014–2015 the editorial team was reorganized. Shoshana Hochwald left, and the author Leah Fried became editor, with Tamar Mizel as deputy. The content, format and design were renewed, the number of pages increased, and every page was printed in full color. The slogan was updated to “A reading experience from a good home,” and Haredi women writers including Mia Kenan, Esther Queen, Sheri Walach, Devorah Tzuf and P. Harif joined the staff.

A Hebrew readership in Israel and the Diaspora

Zarkor was delivered to subscribers by mail and through distribution companies throughout Israel. It also reached Hebrew-speaking communities in the United States, Canada, England, Belgium and elsewhere. In this way, the paper connected Haredi children and teenagers in Israel with readers in the Diaspora through a shared world of Hebrew, Torah, literature, puzzles and imagination.

The newspaper's offices were located on Yisa Beracha Street in Jerusalem. Across its history, Zarkor became part of the ordinary cultural life of Haredi families: a publication arriving each week, encouraging reading and writing while presenting Jewish tradition in language suited to children's lives and stages of development.

Why this legacy belongs in Moreshet

Zarkor merits inclusion because it represents a long-running cultural and educational institution within Haredi society. It did more than transmit information. It created an ecosystem of reading, writing and participation through Torah columns, fiction, reader contributions, competitions, puzzles, serials and books that grew out of its pages.

Its influence can be seen in the generations of readers introduced through it to Hebrew literary expression, journalism and stories linking everyday life with Jewish tradition. When financial pressures threatened its existence, readers helped preserve it, demonstrating the place it held in family and community life. Moreshet documents the institutions that shape Jewish life not only through dramatic historical events, but also through the reading habits, educational frameworks and creative opportunities offered to children. At Moreshet.com, the story of Zarkor preserves its contribution to Haredi journalism, Hebrew children's literature and the cultural ties connecting Israel with Jewish communities abroad.