You may have noticed some changes to the weekly enewsletter over the past year. The most significant change is that we now have a team of editors, a group of Sinai members who take turns to edit the newsletter. Each brings her or his own style though there are some stylistic rules to which all comply.
The point of the newsletter is to give notice of events in the near future or provide relevant information to Sinai members. Content relates to Sinai; the local Jewish community; the Movement for Reform Judaism and national and even international Jewry. The team tries to publish all the notices they receive, sometimes having to edit or request changes if notices are too long or in a format which doesn’t work in the newsletter. To help you ensure that your notice is published, here are answers to some of the questions the team is asked.
Why can’t I include posters in my notice?
You can! Images should be in jpeg or png format. However, posters take up space so will be reduced to fit. This means you may lose some of the impact of your original poster. Additionally, even if the size isn’t reduced, text embedded in a poster can be difficult to read and near impossible for anyone with a sight impairment. Links to the internet cannot be clicked on if they are embedded in a poster. So, we recommend that you use images to enhance text but submit the text information separately.
Why am I asked to limit my notice to 2 or 3 lines? I can’t fit all the details and background information in.
The newsletter is not a magazine. Some people read or attempt to read it on their phone. A long notice can take up the whole screen. If every notice does that, the reader simply will not keep scrolling down and important content lower down the newsletter will be missed. Send your longer notice and images to the Sinai website. It will be published and remain on the website and a headline or taster, with a link, will be in the newsletter. That way, readers can follow up on articles that catch their interest. If your notice relates to something that is not Sinai news, then include the link to the relevant website. Once on the website, the reader may also browse the website and pick up other information. Win win. You can, of course, also post on the Sinai Facebook group.
Why do I have to send my notice to arrive by Wednesday midday?
The publicity inbox fills up every week with many emails. Some are duplicates - information forwarded by people who think it may not have been received from elsewhere. Some are emails with information which conflicts with information sent from elsewhere. Some are not relevant to the newsletter at all. Some include information in the wrong format (see above). Some are ambiguous and the editor needs to check back with the sender, with other members of the editorial team or with other Sinai members. While so many events are taking place via Zoom, many contributions contain Zoom links which need to be checked, as do all other links. This all takes time. Each editor tries to complete a draft by Wednesday evening. The draft is sent to other members of the team for proof reading. Then corrections are made ready for the final publication to be sent out at 4.00pm on a Thursday. The Wednesday midday deadline just about allows for all this but it is sometimes a tight squeeze.
Why can’t my notice remain in the newsletter for several weeks?
Frankly, it gets boring reading the same thing week after week. If you want to give a lot of notice of an event, follow the guidelines above. Send your notice, with detail, to the website. It will stay there. Then, each week, send an eye catching headline to the newsletter. You will attract more attention that way.
How can I give feedback and influence the editorial team?
Please do. We want to hear from you and welcome your comments and constructive criticisms. Email
What about members who don’t have access to the internet. How do they get news?
That is a very good question and one with which we are struggling. At the start of the pandemic. Sinai volunteers contacted every member for whom we don’t have an email address. Some gave us the email address of close relatives who would pass on Sinai news. That left a handful who do not receive frequent updates. While all activity is online, those people can’t participate in our events which is even more distressing and disconnecting. As we start to open up, we really do want to get information out, particularly to them, as often as we can. Our members who are not on email receive a snail mail version of the newsletter. Volunteers who would like to help produce and send this will be most welcome. Please contact Val Mogendorff on
Thank you.