At a time when routine has become a dream for the citizens of Israel, we are pleased to contribute our part to your daily lives.
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On July 30, 2007, we burst into your lives with the first edition of Israel Hayom, a new Israeli newspaper that was awed to join the world of news in Israel. At the time, pandemics were limited to movies, and we only went to vote once every few years, not a few times a year.
Israel Hayom brought refreshing innovation to the world of Israeli journalism. It wasn't ashamed to believe in conservative values and was happy to serve as a home that reflected the worldview of many of the people of Israel. It was proud of Jewish tradition, while also respecting the beliefs of the rest of the people in the country, both Muslims and Christians. It did not hesitate to call IDF soldiers who fought in three wars in Gaza and one in Lebanon "our forces," and was not embarrassed to believe that our path is just. What in other papers was "the occupation" was for us an aspiration to implement sovereignty over parts of our own land.
Our reporters stretch across the political spectrum, even though we have never hidden our worldview or been ashamed to expose our agenda – no, we aren't the United Nations. We are Israelis. And yes, we believe in distributing free newspapers, another "crime" that forced us to fight a few battles against a disgraceful law that tried to "limit" us, or in effect shut us down – in other words, to shut us up.
But we worked, we put in the effort, we flourished, and very quickly, under the leadership of founding editor Amos Regev, we took the lead, breaking a decades-old monopoly. We did it solely thanks to your – our loyal readers. The ones who didn't hesitate reach out to the editor-in-chief if papers were late to one of our many distribution spots.
Last week, we were once again named the most widely-distributed newspaper in Israel, and that's no easy task for a paper that reaches you in a time of lockdowns and restricted movement. We also face a big challenge in terms of creativity at a time when the COVID pandemic and its mutations strange creativity. The workers at our printing press and our delivery drivers don't have an easy job, either. But we aren't taking our foot off the gas because we have a privilege that is also an obligation: to serve you, Israel Hayom's huge family of readers.
The paper has many tasks: to supply information, analyses, matters of interest, and all the rest. But our paper, which has been guided by five principles from day one, is not ashamed to remember and to remind you that we are, first and foremost, an Israeli paper. Israel is not a large country in terms of geography, but it is a complex, colorful mosaic of communities, faiths, goals, and thinking – and we very much try, as a leading paper, to pique the curiosity of every Israeli reader, no matter who they are.
In 13 and a half years of journalistic activity, we have brought you headlines about war and peace, economic crises and successes, protests and celebrations, and lots of elections, both in Israel and the rest of the world.
We have spoken to many national leaders and added various supplements to our paper. And we realized that not everyone liked that, either – but you did, and that's what matters. This is a challenging time and routine, as we have said, seems like a dream. A printed paper faces a much stiffer challenge. But the fact that Israel Hayom is keeping its place as the most-read, leading paper in Israel proves that even, and possibly mostly, in times like these, a paper can be a friend of the people. Israel Hayom, which smiles at your from almost every corner of the land, has become one. Our 4,000th edition is proof of our consistency, commitment, and mainly desire to serve you, our dear readers. Without you, we wouldn't succeed, and that achievement is primarily yours.
Readers – thank you.
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