The Jewish Chronicle (JC), the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper, appointed Daniel Schwammenthal, a former Wall Street Journal opinion writer who has served as the director of the American Jewish Committee Transatlantic Institute (AJCTAI) since 2011, as the new editor on Tuesday.
Jake Wallis Simons, editor since 2021, left the position in order to focus on writing his next book, titled Never Again? How the West betrayed the Jews and itself, according to his personal X/Twitter account.
Some exciting personal news.I’m delighted to announce that I have signed a contract with @LittleBrownUK for my next book, “Never Again? How the West betrayed the Jews and itself”, which will be published in September.Thus I have decided to step down from my role as…
— Jake Wallis Simons (@JakeWSimons) January 28, 2025
Simons notably led the JC through the coverage of the October 7 massacre, Israel’s war with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists, and the rising antisemitic incidents throughout the UK, as well as globally.
Schwammenthal stated that he is “deeply honored” and “excited to embark on this next chapter” in a post on his personal X account.
Deeply honored to join the remarkable team at @JewishChron as editor of the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper. Immensely grateful for 14 wonderful years with exceptional colleagues at @AJCGlobal @AJCTAI. Excited to embark on this next chapter—can’t wait to get started! https://t.co/j01tNP79bo
— Daniel Schwammenthal (@DSchwammenthal) January 28, 2025
He added how grateful he was to work with “exceptional colleagues” at the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and during 14 years as AJCTAI director.
For immediate release: pic.twitter.com/WZbmvi0QjJ
— The Jewish Chronicle (@JewishChron) January 28, 2025
Former editor and editor at large Stephen Pollard also announced that he will be leaving the JC after 16 years but will remain a columnist.
Schwammenthal's background
Schwammenthal was an editorial page writer for The Wall Street Journal Europe.
Before joining the Journal, he worked for six years as a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires in Bonn, Berlin, and Brussels, covering German and European politics, economics, and regulatory affairs.
He studied political science and political economy at the University of Aachen and received an MA in international relations and international communication from Boston University and an LLM in European law and policy from the University of Manchester.