Rabbi Joseph Potasnik

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
“Rabbi Joseph Potasnik made his most significant impact on his community as well as on our nation on 9/11. As a New York City fire chaplain, he spent countless hours and days at ground zero searching for survivors as well as comforting and praying with the grieving families. He never once asked the families what religion they were. He spent tireless days and nights dedicating himself to all people. It is no wonder he is known as America’s rabbi and continues to serve the community.”
—BETH PHILLIPS (also nominated by one other)
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
