In an announcement, the JC said: ‘’With great sadness, the Board of the Jewish Chronicle has taken the decision to seek a creditors voluntary liquidation of Jewish Chronicle Newspapers Ltd. Despite the heroic efforts of the editorial and production team at the newspaper, it has become clear that the Jewish Chronicle will not be able to survive the impact of the current coronavirus epidemic in its current form.’’

Two of Britain’s leading Jewish newspapers are to go into liquidation, they announced this week.

The Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News said they were not able to survive the impact of the coronavirus epidemic in their current form.

The boards of the two papers, which announced plans to merge in February, said they expected the liquidation to be finalised in the coming weeks.

In an announcement, the JC said: ‘’With great sadness, the Board of the Jewish Chronicle has taken the decision to seek a creditors voluntary liquidation of Jewish Chronicle Newspapers Ltd. Despite the heroic efforts of the editorial and production team at the newspaper, it has become clear that the Jewish Chronicle will not be able to survive the impact of the current coronavirus epidemic in its current form.’’

The Jewish News made a similar announcement.

Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said it was “devastating news for us”.

Jewish News editor Richard Ferrer said it was “a sad day for the 55 staff on both titles and the community they serve”.

In its statement,  the Jewish Chronicle said the Kessler Foundation, owners of the Jewish Chronicle, ‘’are actively working to secure a future for the Jewish Chronicle after the liquidation.’’

its owner, the Kessler Foundation, was “actively working” to secure a future for the paper after the liquidation.

The Jewish News said it was working with the charitable foundation to secure its own post-liquidation future.

Staff are set to be made redundant at both outlets.

“I’ve been a Jewish Chronicle columnist since 1998,” Jonathan Freedland wrote on Twitter. “My father Michael wrote for the paper for 67 years, starting in 1951.

Founded in 1841, the Jewish Chronicle is the world’s oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper.

Jewish News was established in 1997 and is distributed for free weekly.