Jewish Journal names new president, publisher

David Suissa, a marketing guru, writer and community leader, has joined TRIBE Media Corp. as president of TRIBE and The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.

Rob Eshman, current editor-in-chief, will become publisher and editor-in-chief.

“David Suissa is a dream partner,” Eshman said. “He combines a deep marketing background with a passion for Judaism, our community and our mission.”

“Rob Eshman and I will join with a great staff to reinvent the community paper as the most comprehensive, far-reaching and efficient Jewish voice in Los Angeles and, digitally, in the world,” Suissa said. “There’s no more important cause in my book than the spread of Jewish values and ideas, and the most natural vehicle for that is a high-quality, independent community paper like The Jewish Journal and its Web site, JewishJournal.com.”

Suissa founded and ran SuissaMiller, a $300 million marketing firm named “Agency of the Year” by USA Today, with clients including Heinz, Dole, McDonald’s, Princess Cruises, Charles Schwab and Acura. Suissa sold the agency in 2005 to devote more time to the Jewish world.

For the past five years Suissa has written a popular weekly column in The Journal called “Live in the Hood.” His new book, “Don’t Get Me Started: A Collection of Columns on Life, Israel and the Jewish World,” will be released next month.

Eshman joined The Journal staff in 1994 and was named editor-in-chief in 2000. He has overseen its growth from a local community paper to a multiplatform media company.

TRIBE Media Corp., a California-based nonprofit, publishes The Jewish Journal, the only Jewish newspaper serving the 600,000-strong Jewish community of Los Angeles, as well as JewishJournal.com, the largest Jewish news Web site in North America, and TRIBE magazine, serving the West San Fernando Valley, Conejo, Simi, Malibu, Ventura and Santa Barbara areas. This fall, TRIBE Media Corp. will introduce JewishJournal, the world’s first Jewish news app for the iPad.

Hiring Suissa is the latest bold step the 25-year-old community newsweekly has undertaken to meet the challenges facing community newspapers. A new group of philanthropists led by Peter Lowy, joint CEO of The Westfield Group, and Art Bilger, managing member of Shelter Capital Partners, has embarked on a new growth plan that includes fundraising, new revenue streams and strategic investment.

“David’s expertise will only increase The Jewish Journal’s ability to help businesses and organizations reach our great readership,” Lowy said.