The editor of the Israeli edition of National Geographic talks about the challenges of preparing a scientific journal for the ultra-Orthodox public
Avi Blizovsky - the science website
"Like every public and sector, the religious public in Israel is also thirsty to learn and tour the world, about its wonderful landscapes and stories, whether on trips or through the written word. However, the options available to him, which meet his requirements and laws, are relatively limited. The one who decided to "pick up the training gauntlet" is the global magazine, National Geographic, which has become a quality brand in all matters related to nature, science and geography, since it was founded in 1888. In preparation for Rosh Hashanah, the first issue of the training edition of National Geographic, designated To the keepers of Torah and mitzvot." This was stated in a press release issued by Maariv's periodicals department at the end of last week.
The announcement further stated that through the training edition, the religious public will be able to enrich their knowledge on nature, geography, science, medicine, the animal world, history, new discoveries and more, at a high level and without violating the laws of Halacha. In preparation for the launch of the edition, a special mini-magazine is being published these days which will be distributed free of charge in 100,000 copies within the newspaper "Mifsha" and in direct distribution in stores and kiosks.
According to Yosef Schneider, the initiator of the edition: "The religious public will receive a magazine with a worldwide reputation, edited with great care, taking into account the needs and demands of this public. We believe that in its training edition, National Geographic will in a short time become a valuable educational and scientific aid in every Torah-observant and mitzvot home."
The National Geographic magazine is currently published in 30 languages, including Hebrew, and is read by 10 million people every month in most countries of the world, including Israel.
Dafna Raz, the editor of the Hebrew edition of National Geographic, says in an interview with the Hedaman website that at this stage a 32-page mini-magazine was published. The first edition of the magazine itself will be released in a few weeks, towards next month. In contrast to the magazine aimed at the general public and distributed as a monthly, the edition for the ultra-Orthodox will only come out once every two months and according to Raz, it will have the same characteristics of the magazine and the same articles, but not all the articles but only a selection of them, i.e. those articles that fit the content world of the ultra-Orthodox public and are of interest to it. "It was not written differently. The thought behind it is not different except in the way in which they try to choose the most appropriate articles."
What interests the ultra-Orthodox public?
"The ultra-orthodox public, like any person who wants to know the world around them, is interested in everything related to the world of nature, landscapes, distant places, science and medicine. He is no different from others, but he has special sensitivities - both in matters of modesty and in other matters that need to be taken into account so that people will want to bring him into their homes, and will want to show others to broaden their minds. I think it's a good cause and we want to help it."
"I am the editor of National Geographic, it is my duty to bring things in the most complete way. I submit to the committee some articles that I think are the most suitable, and they answer me if there are sensitive matters in these articles that I am not aware of. If things don't seem right to them, the article is not included. The intention is not to hurt their sensitivities. The intention is not to censor, not to bring partial articles - these are works that people worked many hours on. "
Can you give examples of sensitivities?
"For example, there are articles dealing with certain cultures where it is impossible to avoid exposure of the body in the photos attached to them. We didn't have such a case, but I guess it's not a suitable thing. If there is an article about an area of the Smoky Mountains in the USA that is a very beautiful area. The geological age or the way in which these mountains were formed is not the subject of this article but the meeting point between visitors and nature, between the needs of man and the preservation of nature. In any case, we will not take an article and start giving parts of it. The character that the photographers and reporters and editors of National Geographic wanted it to appear should be preserved.
Will you disqualify articles dealing with evolution?
As for evolution, we have not come across such articles so far, so the problem did not arise. We will not take an article about evolution and start changing its spirit. It's not fair to the audience, not true to the integrity of the article, to all the research that went into it. If we come across an article that is all about evolution, we will simply not include it, but we will not want to change it. If an evolutionary mention is made in passing, we will examine the issue on its merits, and usually judge it seriously if it does not harm the integrity of the article and the research done in preparation for it. If it is something that is not related to the very fact of the article, we will decide what to do. In any case, we will not replace facts with facts.
The world of content is so wide and the selection of material is very large that there is always something to take away. There are enough interesting things to submit in full. If I wasn't convinced of that, we wouldn't have approached the project. Most of the materials actually fit, because otherwise this match would not have been created. These are mind-expanding materials that are presented in a respectable manner and at a high level.. All our articles are so invested in the original, also in the translation and the translation tests, and in our accuracy of submitting the materials in Israel, which is a lot of work, this is a very big investment, there is a wealth of things that can be given, adapted things, Correct and in Hebrew. We will not write things in particular. That the audience will feel that they are getting the things that suit them but the real thing, with all the investment and reputation of an international body and the history of the organization. The match is good, you need to choose the most suitable materials.
In response to the question of whether the production of the special edition was done on the opinion of the editors of the world edition of the magazine, Raz said that the decision was on the opinion of the people of the National Geographic company, "who agreed after we showed them the way we work."
"They contacted me to carry out the project from a systemic point of view and it's a really interesting experience, done with a lot of respect and interest, I think that's the key in the end. As an editor, I am very happy about the interest they are showing and the opportunity to bring the magazine into homes that otherwise would not have reached them. I regard this fact in a very positive spirit and we do it in that spirit."
