I bring some news of my own to this week’s issue of The Chronicle. In addition to the news of the transition to a magazine that you saw on the front page, I want to let you know that I am embarking on a new chapter in my career and have accepted a role in content strategy at another organization.

This announcement is bittersweet, as it has been my honor and pleasure to serve this community as editor of The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle for five important years of its 106-year-long history. I’m sad to leave, but I’m looking forward to seeing what’s ahead for The Chronicle — the beginning of its new chapter as a magazine, a culmination of months of planning.

Upon reflecting on my job here, I was shocked when I realized I’ve been the editor of The Chronicle for nearly 20% of my life. Now 26, I started in this role as the newspaper’s 14th (and youngest-ever) editor in September 2021, during the late days of COVID-19 lockdowns.

For my first six months as editor, I was working remotely from Omaha, Nebraska, while also working for both the Omaha Jewish Press and the Jewish Federation of Omaha. I would drive down to Overland Park every two weeks and join Assistant Editor Lacey Storer to assemble the now-biweekly newspaper. Suffice to say, this arrangement was not a recipe for low blood pressure.

The operation of The Chronicle was very different when I started. Lacey (who only worked part-time on The Chronicle) and I were helped by an advertising salesperson and a circulation/business manager. Page layout and design were initially outsourced, but because I had experience from my time in college, I offered to take that aspect of the newspaper over.

Soon, both the salesperson and business manager moved on, and The Chronicle staff became just Lacey and me. Federation COO Derek Gale took me to lunch and offered me a full-time position with the title of “Editor and Business Manager.” With only two weeks’ notice, I moved into my uncle’s basement in Overland Park, set up my office in a converted workspace in the Federation suite and got to work.

We were a small, “streamlined” team — I used to say that short of printing and bringing the paper to your mailbox, The Chronicle’s one-and-a-half employees were responsible for everything. But with our size came nimbleness, allowing us to execute fun ideas without delay, such as completely redesigning the newspaper in 2023.

I also had the honor of covering incredibly impactful stories over the past few (very eventful) years. Memorable stories include the coverage of Oct. 7 and its aftermath on our community; honoring the memory of Sarah Milgrim; the return of the remains of fallen World War II soldier Sgt. Simon Garelich; the end of “Big Sonia” Warshawski’s tailor shop; and the merger of historic synagogues Congregations Ohev Sholom and Beth Shalom. I also was fortunate to have the resources to do in-depth research for the 105th anniversary of The Chronicle and about former community synagogue buildings.

Recently, The Chronicle has had some more help. Alexis Greenberg, my close friend and Federation’s digital marketing specialist, manages The Chronicle’s website and social media (she is also a really, really good writer). Talented freelancers helped us cover stories that I alone didn’t have the bandwidth to write. Volunteer columnists helped fill The Chronicle with witty and fun perspectives, and dozens of community members sent The Chronicle articles about their organizations and events.

So many people have supported me throughout my time here. I especially want to thank my parents and grandparents in Omaha; my wonderful fiancée, Sarah Navran; my sister, Rachel Kricsfeld; my aunts, uncles and cousins here in Kansas; my mentor, Omaha Jewish Press Editor Annette van de Kamp-Wright; and Lacey and all Federation staff who’ve supported me over the past five years.

I know this is a lot of change all at once, but rest assured The Chronicle is in good hands. Lacey will be guiding this transition from newspaper to magazine, and she cares deeply about The Chronicle, its subscribers, its coverage and its future success.

Thank you for trusting me with your stories and announcements, and thank you for supporting me in leading our community’s only Jewish news source. It was an incredible experience to steward this newspaper, meet so many great people and really become part of the Kansas City Jewish community.

I hope to see you around!

Sincerely,

Sam Kricsfeld