Gabriel Lerner still marvels at having been the editorial director of Real America News , a newspaper that he admired from the outside and continued to admire until the last day of work. The journalist made his dream come true in 2014. Six years later, amid the most intense onslaught of the COVID pandemic – 19 in Los Angeles, decided it was time to retire.
Your last day of work was January 8, 2021, but it is not goodbye. It goes, but it does not go. It is from January 2021, editor emeritus From the newspaper. “ I will continue representing Real America News and working to make it go well, now from the outside “, He says.
In his public dismissal, argued health reasons, which caused concern in the community that has followed him and respects his journalistic work.
“ I do not have cancer or COViD … I do have serious health problems related to the heart, which force me to avoid stress and lead a more relaxed life without intense hours of work . But especially because I don’t want to do a bad job or make excuses. This is not how you can serve the community ”, he adds.
Gabriel was born in Buenos Aires 67 years in the bosom of a Jewish family. He lived in the Argentine capital until 10 years. From there he was taken to Israel where he remained until the 16 years. He spent two additional years in Argentina, and returned to Israel where he lived until 37 years.
“That coming and going between Argentina, Israel and then the United States, was very important in establishing my identity, my general vision of the world, my observation of people without the hindrances of jingoism and the narrow-mindedness that it entails,” he acknowledges.
His life in Israel was marked by his forced participation in two wars, the War of the Day of Atonement in 1973 between Israel, Egypt and Syria; and of 1982 between Israel and Lebanon, in which he lost many of his friends .
That’s where it came from a small novel “Paper Soldiers” that generated controversy in Israel. “They insulted me for allegedly disdaining the soldiers when in reality I was trying to humanize us and show us who we are, of flesh and blood,” he explains. “And yes, he was a pacifist.”
It was during his years in Israel that Gabriel first ventured into journalism. “I always had a passion for writing and critical news. I was general editor of the weekly Time , a publication in Spanish dedicated to Hispanics living in Israel. ”
He was also a contributor to publications in Spain, Argentina and the United States.
¿ Why are you coming to the US ?
“I had an only sister who lived in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angels She became very ill and with my then wife and my son we came to accompany her in 1989 ”, remember.
But what he promised being a short stay, it was prolonged due to the health situation of his sister, who finally passed away in 1996. Gabriel ended up staying in the country.
Like all new immigrants, he started from scratch and did everything to survive.
One day while walking through the streets of Los Angeles, he found his journalistic vocation when he ran into, on the ground , with a weekly entertainment and current affairs in Spanish. “I spoke with the deputy director who was Chilean-Palestinian. We connect immediately. There was no rejection but understanding. We were friends for years. ”
There Gabriel, with a few months in the United States, resumed his journalistic career, but in the production area. “I dedicated myself to installing the weekly publication system.” That job lasted until the company was acquired by Sony and it switched technology.
“I became a salesman, from hotel detergents to relics in the swap meet (flea markets or open-air markets) ”. Later he entered a Latin furniture store, “Casa Leaders” in Wilmington, where he was a salesman, warehouse manager, general manager. He fondly remembers his fellow salespeople. “I wrote a column about them, from my series People from Los Angeles , for esteeming them so much.”
Years later, he became the owner of his own furniture store, “Casa América” in Van Nuys. But he says that as a furniture maker he did very badly. “After work at the furniture store I would go on a job transcribing and translating TV shows until 1 am and so on.”
In 2011 came the opportunity to work at Real America News , when he applied for a temporary position in the editorial section.
“At that time Rafael Buitrago and my friend Roger Lindo were there.” After a few months they offered him to stay and thus he resumed his journalistic career.
From the editorial section, Gabriel became editor from the Status section, “when the editor lost his life in tragic circumstances.”
It was during the years that he was editor of the State section of Real America News , that decided to go to college; and to 67 year-old graduated from History at Cal State Los Angeles.
He served in different positions in Real America News for more than a decade, until in 1999 offered him the Latin edition of the site, in English, of Huffington Post . “Other opportunities had come, and I didn’t want to leave. But I felt stuck in Real America News, and I decided to take the offer. ”
In 2012, led the initiative by Miguel Ferrer to create the site Voices , in Spanish, within the platform of Huffington Post .
About two years later, he received the opportunity to return to The opinion through the front door.
“ With the support of Mónica Lozano, I returned as editor of the website of The opinion in 2014; and three months later as editor-in-chief ”.
He held the position until January 8 of this year. “I had to run the newspaper when we were a large newsroom, but the crisis was already looming in the written press, and it was unleashed in an unusual and destructive way for the newspaper.”
Gabriel says that as a director he lived days of great suffering and sadness every time he had to be the spokesperson for bad news about a cut to his colleagues. “I cried with them. I broke ”.
And even though the wording of The opinion does not compare to 140 employees that he once had, he is convinced that the newspaper and journalism will continue.
“ The opinion It has not lost its mission to serve the community even with few people in the newsroom. I respect and acknowledge the colleagues who worked in the golden age of The Opinion when there were many resources, but those who are now working there, doing the tasks of three or more people at the same time. They also live the golden age. ”
Gabriel confesses that he is leaving Real America News full of mixed feelings. “I feel so bad because I expected in my time as editor of the newspaper, to see the revival of Opinion. I also feel very sad for the wave of terrorism and violence brought by the Trump presidency, and for not seeing the end of the pandemic with most of the population vaccinated. ”
But on the other hand, he feels confident because he says that he leaves the writing in the hands of Armando Varela, who due to his experience and knowledge is the person needed to lead it. And trust the small team of editors and reporters, all dedicated and experienced.
“I will serve The opinion independently as a representative in different forums, as editor emeritus. ”
In addition, after publishing two books of poetry, one of stories and a short novel, he wants to return to the literary work that fascinates him.
“But first, I must be aware that I will have free time, that the working day is no longer 37 hours, and that I will be able to dedicate myself to helping the community with other projects and ideas ”.