IN A classic case of chutzpah, a group of Jewish-American “twenty somethings” have launched a magazine that takes its audacious title from an old ethnic slur.
Heeb, named after a derogatory nickname for Hebrews, has raised hackles among more established American Jews, such as the Anti-Defamation League, who argue that its breezy use of an insult is in bad taste.
But Jennifer Bleyer, 26, the editor who started the magazine with a grant funded in part by one of Steven Spielberg’s charities, is unapologetic. “I knew very well what it was: it’s an old derogatory slur for Jew . . . I did not think it would be such a big deal, but for some people it really causes a lot of sting. Most people think it’s hilarious.”
When the first issue hits the news stands next week, with a projected circulation of 37,500, it is unlikely that critics will be reassured. The pop-culture magazine, which calls itself The New Jew Review, is targeted at the young, hip, educated, urban Jew. In America, it will go on sale in six cities with large Jewish populations - New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. But plans are under way to sell it in Britain, Israel and Germany too.
Intended as a quarterly at first, the start-up is no Talk. Unlike Tina Brown’s failed magazine, which ran through more than $50 million (£35 million), Heeb is financed with $60,000 from the Joshua Venture fund, a charity established by Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation and other groups. The 20 staff work for nothing.
The first issue is a frothy cocktail of Jewish themes - though light on Middle East politics - ranging from a profile of a Jewish skateboarder to a photo-spread on big curly “Jewfro” hairstyles and a (deeply ironic) Neil Diamond centrefold.
Ms Bleyer knows that the title could be a cause for misunderstanding. The magazine has already received mail from some neo-Nazis who assumed it would be sympathetic to their views.