Six years ago, we could never have imagined that Niv would turn into the juggernaut it has become. We set out with a simple mission in May 2020: to foster a platform for the Jewish perspective, in all its diverse, pluralistic, and ever-changing forms of expression.
At the time, The Canadian Jewish News (CJN)—Canada’s largest Jewish publication—announced it was ceasing all print and online publication. Without The CJN, we were concerned about where this left Canadian Jewish news and storytelling. We live in a time when valued journalistic institutions and important literary publications are being dismantled and gutted. As a result, our society is less informed and prone to disinformation and limited perspectives. We didn’t want to see Canada’s Jewish media landscape shrink. And so, we decided to create a Jewish online magazine, geared toward arts and culture, as well as community news and literary works.
From the start, we wanted our publication to be a home for different Jewish voices and worldviews, focusing on the creative work and community lead initiatives that positively impact not only the Jewish community but society at large in Canada and abroad. We wanted Niv to uplift and provide our readers with a feeling of optimism about the world. Though that doesn’t mean we shied away from challenging topics, like antisemitism, to cover. But we didn’t want those narratives to prevail because there is, as we firmly believe, so much good in the world to highlight.
We decided on the name Niv because one of its meanings, in Hebrew, includes the word expression, which encapsulates our mission. In spring 2020, deep in the pandemic, we got to work right away. We started building our website and putting out calls for writers to contribute to our first issue. Throughout Niv’s six years, it has just been us two working on all aspects of the publication from the website and logo design, to writing and editing of articles, to designing artwork for each article and issue cover, to managing the social media channels and newsletter, and to networking in the Jewish community. It has been an absolute labour of love to volunteer our time to this digital magazine after our full-time work hours. And that comes down to believing in the publication wholeheartedly and simply because we have loved working on every issue. It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve gone through numerous website redesigns and spent many late nights getting publications ready in time, but we have learnt from, and valued, each lesson that’s come our way.
As Niv has grown, so have we. We were in our mid-twenties when we started this publication and fresh into our careers. Now we are in our thirties and a little less bright eyed and bushy tailed (not really, but the swift passage of time and our inability to pull all-nighters anymore continues to mystify us). To pursue a journalistic endeavour is to be fuelled by curiosity and our curiosity to capture Jewish experiences and learn from our writers, readers, and interviewees has kept us going. In fact, that appetite to engage with an array of Jewish perspectives is one of the reasons we bonded. That and because we were both theatre kids. We first met in 2015 in a playwriting class during our undergraduate degrees at the University of Toronto, and actually spent most of the whole semester not speaking to one another, until that fateful second-last class. Our first outing as friends happened soon after and while we gossiped about school, realized we both laugh a lot, and mused about what courses we’d like to take next year, it came to our attention we had, individually, found that most Jewish spaces we had entered did not feel welcoming despite those spaces promising to be inviting for all. With Niv we wanted to create the inclusivity we had missed out on, and channel our interest and experience in arts and culture sectors. We hope our efforts have created an atmosphere that is welcoming.
Our steadfast friendship, and respect for each other’s opinions and work ethic has been the foundation of this publication’s success. They say never mix business and friendship, but friendship is the secret ingredient that has made this publication thrive and truly be boundless in its creativity. We may have even reached our peak with our Winter 2026 cover featuring two Canadian moose friends wearing gold chains, featuring Jewish stars, trotting through a field of snow.
In six years we have worked with more than 200 authors from dozens of countries around the world, published 449 articles, and completed 28 issues. It has been a pleasure and privilege working with every writer and artist, providing a platform for the expansive world of Jewish arts and culture.
As we wind down operations for at least a year, we are leaving the Jewish media landscape in a better place than where we found it six years ago. The CJN returned, publishing vital news and offering a wide range of engaging and informative podcasts; and Parchment, the only literary magazine devoted to Canadian Jewish writing, relaunched this spring. It’s heartening to see this revitalization and hunger for Jewish publications.
We hope you have enjoyed reading the digital pages of Niv and continue to find our stories engaging. And in a world that is constantly demanding we dim our Jewish identity we hope you continue to shine it brightly and boldly.
Six years ago, we could never have imagined that Niv would turn into the juggernaut it has become. We set out with a simple mission in May 2020: to foster a platform for the Jewish perspective, in all its diverse, pluralistic, and ever-changing forms of expression.
At the time, The Canadian Jewish News (CJN)—Canada’s largest Jewish publication—announced it was ceasing all print and online publication. Without The CJN, we were concerned about where this left Canadian Jewish news and storytelling. We live in a time when valued journalistic institutions and important literary publications are being dismantled and gutted. As a result, our society is less informed and prone to disinformation and limited perspectives. We didn’t want to see Canada’s Jewish media landscape shrink. And so, we decided to create a Jewish online magazine, geared toward arts and culture, as well as community news and literary works.
From the start, we wanted our publication to be a home for different Jewish voices and worldviews, focusing on the creative work and community lead initiatives that positively impact not only the Jewish community but society at large in Canada and abroad. We wanted Niv to uplift and provide our readers with a feeling of optimism about the world. Though that doesn’t mean we shied away from challenging topics, like antisemitism, to cover. But we didn’t want those narratives to prevail because there is, as we firmly believe, so much good in the world to highlight.
We decided on the name Niv because one of its meanings, in Hebrew, includes the word expression, which encapsulates our mission. In spring 2020, deep in the pandemic, we got to work right away. We started building our website and putting out calls for writers to contribute to our first issue. Throughout Niv’s six years, it has just been us two working on all aspects of the publication from the website and logo design, to writing and editing of articles, to designing artwork for each article and issue cover, to managing the social media channels and newsletter, and to networking in the Jewish community. It has been an absolute labour of love to volunteer our time to this digital magazine after our full-time work hours. And that comes down to believing in the publication wholeheartedly and simply because we have loved working on every issue. It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve gone through numerous website redesigns and spent many late nights getting publications ready in time, but we have learnt from, and valued, each lesson that’s come our way.
As Niv has grown, so have we. We were in our mid-twenties when we started this publication and fresh into our careers. Now we are in our thirties and a little less bright eyed and bushy tailed (not really, but the swift passage of time and our inability to pull all-nighters anymore continues to mystify us). To pursue a journalistic endeavour is to be fuelled by curiosity and our curiosity to capture Jewish experiences and learn from our writers, readers, and interviewees has kept us going. In fact, that appetite to engage with an array of Jewish perspectives is one of the reasons we bonded. That and because we were both theatre kids. We first met in 2015 in a playwriting class during our undergraduate degrees at the University of Toronto, and actually spent most of the whole semester not speaking to one another, until that fateful second-last class. Our first outing as friends happened soon after and while we gossiped about school, realized we both laugh a lot, and mused about what courses we’d like to take next year, it came to our attention we had, individually, found that most Jewish spaces we had entered did not feel welcoming despite those spaces promising to be inviting for all. With Niv we wanted to create the inclusivity we had missed out on, and channel our interest and experience in arts and culture sectors. We hope our efforts have created an atmosphere that is welcoming.
Our steadfast friendship, and respect for each other’s opinions and work ethic has been the foundation of this publication’s success. They say never mix business and friendship, but friendship is the secret ingredient that has made this publication thrive and truly be boundless in its creativity. We may have even reached our peak with our Winter 2026 cover featuring two Canadian moose friends wearing gold chains, featuring Jewish stars, trotting through a field of snow.
In six years we have worked with more than 200 authors from dozens of countries around the world, published 449 articles, and completed 28 issues. It has been a pleasure and privilege working with every writer and artist, providing a platform for the expansive world of Jewish arts and culture.
As we wind down operations for at least a year, we are leaving the Jewish media landscape in a better place than where we found it six years ago. The CJN returned, publishing vital news and offering a wide range of engaging and informative podcasts; and Parchment, the only literary magazine devoted to Canadian Jewish writing, relaunched this spring. It’s heartening to see this revitalization and hunger for Jewish publications.
We hope you have enjoyed reading the digital pages of Niv and continue to find our stories engaging. And in a world that is constantly demanding we dim our Jewish identity we hope you continue to shine it brightly and boldly.