If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s our determination to put you — the reader — first

Six months ago, when we closed our Pesach magazine in masks and socially distanced office spaces, we were sure that by Succos the virus would be a distant memory — a test that we had withstood, hopefully gracefully, followed by a return to normal life.

We never dreamed that the brainstorming sessions for the Succos package would take place over Zoom, that our staff would still be split into small teams as we produced the magazine, that various editors would be entering and exiting quarantine throughout the process. We imagined the camaraderie of sharing pizza or bagels during late-night stays at the office along with open, easy conversation, grouped around a screen and tweaking a design together.

Yet here we are, sending off another issue to print, still in our masks and still keeping to strict regulations. In some ways it’s grown easier. We’re grown better at estimating the time needed to complete projects when the team isn’t working in the same space (it’s always a lot longer). We’ve developed systems of sorts for focusing on the computer while children climb over our laps and shoulders (or just adjusted our expectations). We’ve made use of technological advancements allowing us to transfer, share, or view files remotely. And we’ve tried to become more flexible too, knowing that not everyone can be available at precisely the time needed.

But in many ways the ongoing months only made it harder. Since we have an international team, we were already familiar with Zoom. But the long months of lockdown only highlighted its limitations. Collaboration — bouncing ideas off one another, sitting around a table together and watching one kernel of creativity pop against another, releasing a rush of new thoughts and phrases and leads — just doesn’t have the same magic when it’s done on a screen.

And it’s not just the distance among the team that hurts, it’s also the distance from the readers. Back in the old days, the flow of casual or friendly or heated conversations — in the store, at a simchah, in the park or at PTA — enriched, informed, and improved the magazine. During these months, as we sat in our isolated spaces, in some ways we were more connected than ever — always updated, always in touch, always checking in. But the spontaneous interaction of friends, family, or neighbors discussing, even arguing — that was missing, and it spelled a real void.

If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s our determination to put you — the reader — first. As we logged into Zoom meetings or checked shared documents or updated Excel files, we kept aiming to create a Yom Tov package that would bring you light, color, inspiration, and escape. We weighed and measured and reconsidered with you in mind, remembering that at the end of all those charts and lists and deadlines are readers who’ve endured the most challenging six months of their lives.

Most of all, we hoped to transcend the distance and once again infuse the words, the pages, the phrases, and photos with the power to serve as a connective force and a source of simchas Yom Tov.

Wishing you a beautiful Yom Tov,

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 830)