Political correspondent Ariel Kahana announced on Thursday morning that he is leaving Israel Hayom after nine years at the paper and will soon begin a new professional chapter. In a statement, he said he was ending "nine intensive and rewarding years" at the daily and would soon launch the Hebrew edition of JNS Israel.
Kahana thanked Israel Hayom editor Omer Lachmanovitch for "many years of friendship and support," as well as colleagues in the newsroom and staff who helped him over nearly a decade. He also expressed special gratitude to the newspaper’s owner, Dr. Miriam Adelson, saying she and the late Sheldon Adelson had saved his former paper, Makor Rishon, in 2014.
He said that since then he had seen up close their "complete and noble commitment" to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Kahana described JNS, the Jerusalem News Syndicate, as an international news organization focused on Jews and Israel that is expanding rapidly.
According to Kahana, the Hebrew-language branch is expected to go live in the coming weeks and will offer serious, high-quality news using the best technological tools available to news organizations. He added that he will continue covering political affairs and related issues for JNS, while also maintaining his social media channels.