You’re cordially invited

“It’s just a piece of paper that folks throw away after the wedding is over,” my future mother-in-law retorted when I described the invitations her son Adrien and I picked out for our upcoming wedding. I, on the other hand, believed that the invitation to my wedding was the only chance I had to make a good first impression.

I wasn’t just announcing my celebration – in addition to telling people the details about my wedding and giving them a way to RSVP, my invitation would offer guests a foretaste of the nuptial event and reinforce the theme. This was to be one of the most significant days of my life, and I wanted my invitation to reflect that. Although one can argue that a guest may throw away the invitation long before the first grain of rice is tossed, I certainly did not want to mail a sub-par invitation to my guests.

Months later, Adrien’s mom phoned me. “Kara, I just received the wedding invitation. It’s gorgeous! Absolutely stunning. This sets the tone for the whole affair, doncha think?”

Bingo.

In the same vein, The Jewish Voice acts as an invitation. It sets the tone, beckons you to the celebration – a celebration of community – and invites you, dear readers, to be our guests.

This is a significant time, and the Alliance wants The Jewish Voice to reveal that.

You have probably noticed some recent changes in the newspaper over the past few months – its style and formatting, as well as changes in staff. The Jewish Alliance sees this as an opportunity for growth. As with my wedding invitations, we wouldn’t dream of sending an inferior invitation to our guests. Like some marriages, the road can sometimes be a bit bumpy, but we are committed to making the union work. Similar to a future bride and groom’s anticipation of their wedding day, this newspaper is giddy with excitement, anxious about the future and impatient for the honeymoon.

Consider this letter from the publisher an invitation to the wonderful surprises to come. Our hope is that The Jewish Voice will be received with the same expectation, hope and joy as one finds when waiting the celebration of special moments.

Kara Marziali (kmarziali@jewishallianceri.org) is the director of communications at the Jewish Alliance.