Students Supporting Israel is a club created by Ryan Motamed in September 2008 to raise money for Israeli charities. The charities they associate themselves with are JNF, AFMDA, and ZAKA. Ryan Motamed, club president, has high hopes for his club and would like to raise as much money as he possibly can for these charities. His club has already started collecting money. "We passed out tzedaka boxes to all the club members and many of them have already filled them up within a few days!" says Motamed.
"Hanukkah is coming up, and we plan to take full advantage of the holiday. We're planning on selling Hanukkah candles, maybe have a fund raising night at Jerusalem Pizza [a pizza shop in Encino, CA] and we'll probably have a bake sale."
The club is also in the process of creating their own email service with Google. They will sell the emails at $5 for one, $9 for two, $13 for three, and $15 for four. The emails come with a Gmail interface only using the domain of ssi-webmail.com. They also provide a calendar, document reader, and a start page. The email accounts are also linked to @chs-ssi.com and @studentssupportingisrael.com.
"I encourage you all to make a small donation as well" says Motamed. You can find a donation link on their websites www.studentssupportingisrael.com and www.chs-ssi.com. And if you would like to purchase an email account visit www.ssi-webmail.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LEIBEL COHEN
REEL JEWISH ENTERTAINMENT
(412) 608-4526
leibco@gmail.com
SIXTH SENSATIONAL AGENT EMES EPISODE NOW ON SALE
Pittsburgh, PA October 30, 2008
The latest installment of the “Agent Emes” video series has arrived in stores and is being snapped up quickly by its enthusiastic, ever-growing fan base. The creation of Pittsburgh-based filmmaker, Leibel Cohen, “Agent Emes” follows the exploits of a pre-teen secret agent who dresses in a trenchcoat, fedora, sunglasses, and fake mustache while venturing out to fight the forces of evil. Each episode packs humor, adventure and excitement into unique stories that explore multiple aspects of Jewish philosophy and tradition.
“Agent Emes” was started in 2003 and originally featured Cohen’s son, Sholom Ber, in the title role. When the young actor outgrew the part, a search was undertaken to find a suitable replacement. Cohen received video audition tapes from all over the U.S. before he decided on a local boy, Yissachar Shollar, who came in to audition shortly before the final decision was made. “Yissachar has that intangible quality that you always look for; a certain naturalness in front of the camera that cannot be taught,” Cohen explained. He and his small crew of five filmed for over a month this past summer, getting three episodes “in the can” before Yissachar had to leave town for other obligations. “We’re trying a new approach this time”, Cohen explains. “It’s clear that there is a hunger out there for more stories, so I decided to release more episodes, more often, to satisfy the craving of our fans.”
The sixth episode is called “Hard To Forget”, and is the first of a two-part story, which ends in classic “cliffhanger” form. “I took a chance on that one,” said Cohen, “A few people have called to complain, but I think in general the audience ‘gets it’, and what they really want to know is when the conclusion will be coming out.” Fans won’t have to wait long to see the story’s outcome. Cohen plans to release the seventh episode by Chanukah time.
In addition to adding a new star, the series has a new villain as well: Pittsburgh acting legend Sam Nicotero has taken over the role of Agent Emes’ chief antagonist, Uncle Evil. “Sam is great”, extols Cohen, “bringing in a new personality like his made it much easier to create the new character. Not only that, but he has a great chemistry with Greg Caridi (who plays his sidekick ‘Clarence’).”
Thanks to Cohen and his talented cast of characters, Jewish children from observant families finally have a hero they can call their own in the form of high-quality, entertaining videos called “Agent Emes.”
For more information visit www.agent-emes.com
Eastern Union, one of the few select mortgage companies still actively closing commercial real estate loans – with more than 80 closings since Memorial Day, including 19 closings within the past 3 weeks -- has rolled out "THE SCOOP". A flat-fee service that is geared towards active investors and those with large commercial real estate portfolios, fine-tuned for the mindset of the new markets of today and tomorrow.
In this new market environment, commercial real estate investors have found themselves in a quandary adjusting to the current unrest and uncertainty. As lending options are drying up on a daily basis, they have come to the realization that professional assistance with their transactions is quickly becoming the only option. While in the recent past, some investors would process/close simple cash-flowing deals without any outside assistance, in this current market, they acknowledge the need for professional input from people within the lending industry who are always abreast of the current lending institutions and different options.
In short, investors are looking for guidance and sound advice for their purchases and refinances and realize the need to consult with an analyst/underwriter whom they can trust with unbiased advice. Not to neglect the value-added deals, for which the market now dictates the necessity for a regular mortgage broker.
Until now, investors had only one option: pay a broker 1%, or do the deals in-house without the benefit of a brokerage firm guiding them. Now with "THE SCOOP", for a monthly fee you can have the luxury of never paying more than ¼ of the 1% mortgage brokerage fee to finance stable and cash-flowing multi-family, office, retail, or industrial properties. In some cases you will not even have to pay a ¼ of the 1%, as part of “The SCOOP” flat monthly fee; you will be provided with an analyst/underwriter to run the deal from inception through closing. In addition, clients of "THE SCOOP" will have unfettered access to Eastern Union's banking relationships, industry knowledge and know-how.
Investors will have the peace of mind knowing they have the guidance, ability to consult, and strategize with a team of professionals within the lending arena. Ira Zlotowitz, President of Eastern Union, whose broad knowledge of the markets are well established, will be available as part of the exclusive investors membership with "THE SCOOP", as well as Eastern Union's top underwriters and Heads of Banking Relationships. If mid-stream an investor feels the need for more than just an analyst and would like to engage one of Eastern Union's Loan officers, Eastern Union will provide a loan officer for a fee of only ¼ of 1%. If the deal is not stable or does not fall under one of the four main property types, then Eastern Union will broker the deal with its normal brokerage fee.
“We believe this new concept will revolutionize and redefine the industry" says Ira Zlotowitz. "Investors need more options in today's market and we are at the forefront in understanding and interpreting this new market. One of the numerous new innovations that we have been actively pursuing is obtaining new sources of money in the U.S and abroad. This in turn will afford our clients, the ability to have their loans placed via "THE SCOOP", providing the flexibility investors need to navigate through these unchartered waters.”
For more information please contact Ira Zlotowitz directly at iraz@easternuf.com or by calling 917-597-2197
Eastern Union is a New York based commercial real estate financing firm, closing over $1billion in loans in the past year. They focus on all property types, including multi-family, industrial, retail, shopping centers and all loan types. Despite current market conditions Eastern Union is consistently maintaining closings.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2008
Contact Person:
Leah Larson
781-784-3585
leah@yaldahmagazine.com
JEWISH TEEN FINALIST IN WELLS FARGO CONTEST Leah Larson, age 17, editor and publisher of Yaldah magazine for Jewish girls, is a finalist in the Someday Stories Contest sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank. Leah’s mother, Evelyn Krieger, of Sharon, MA, wrote the winning essay, “Dream Girl”, describing her ambitious daughter’s talents and dream of expanding Yaldah Magazine, which she started at age 13. Krieger’s essay was one of 5 finalists selected from 10,000 entries and is the only Jewish finalist.
 The mother/daughter team is now competing for the grand prize of $100,000, which will be invested in expanding the magazine and programs for Jewish girls. Public voting is currently underway on the website, www.wellsfargo.com/somedaystories which features the winning essays and video interviews. The finalist with the most votes by November 10, 2008 will be named the Grand Prize Winner.
Jews worldwide have voted, blogged about it, spread the word to their friends, and eagerly check the votes each day. Yaldah has been in first place since the contest opened, but recently slipped to second over during Rosh Hashanah. Anyone can easily support Yaldah magazine and Leah's dream by taking a minute to vote.
Yaldah magazine’s mission is to celebrate Jewish girls and women, inspire creativity, leadership, and Jewish living. Yaldah is a quarterly, full-color magazine available by subscription and at select bookstores. For more information about the magazine visit: www.yaldahmagazine.com.
Itzhak Schier, Chabad-Lubavitch cyberentrepreneur, announces the launch of Pplinvest.com, billed as the “answer to NASDAQ” for new and existing small to medium businesses.
Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, August 28,2008 --Pplinvest.com (http://www.pplinvest.com), the People to People Investment Exchange, is a peer to peer network site that enables entrepreneurs in search of funding for their businesses to list shares or other forms of investment on the site so that people with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to invest in real businesses can do so easily and safely.
The Pplinvest.com beta site offers different levels of membership depending on whether a member wants to list investment opportunities, provide related services, maintain a profile, blog and other information listings, or to search for and find small to medium businesses to invest in. It also allows a budding entrepreneur to post a single listing. All use of the site is on a paid membership basis so as to guarantee a safe investment environment while avoiding dependence on outside advertising.
While the site is geared toward businesses looking for seed or growth/expansion capital, it is also possible to sell an entire business via Pplinvest.com. There is no minimum or maximum amount of capital that can be sought via Pplinvest.com, and the exchange transfers investment funds directly from the investor to the entrepreneur via PayPal once proper documentation and other requirements set by the investor have been met.
Pplinvest was designed using open source software, and its creator acknowledges his fervent beliefs by including the initials BS”D at the top left hand corner of the notices and instructions. A link explains that these initials stand for “With the Help of Heaven (God)”.
For more information about Pplinvest.com, please contact its creator directly via e-mail I.schier@pvtvest.com or by telephone +38 067 299 84 29.
The site is ready to welcome members at http://www.pplinvest.com
About Itzhak Schier
Itzhak Schier is an American cyberentrepreneur who has created The Million Word Site, one of the most successful and longest running sites of its type. He is now based in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine where he is involved in the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish community along with his online and offline entrepreneurial ventures.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2008 Just in time for the High Holidays, ChosenThings has launched a new Judaica shopping blog, pointing readers to modern Judaica items with a unique flair and design aesthetic.
The website, www.chosenthings.com, does not directly sell merchandise and is not sponsored by any retailer, but instead points consumers to special Judaica products. The site operates like a free online personal shopper to help consumers find Judaica items that are beyond the ordinary. ChosenThings is updated daily with new featured products, from classic to kitschy and everywhere in between.
Website proprietor Martha Kimes says, "So many people seem to pull their hair out over what to buy as a bar/bat mitzvah gift, what to bring to a bris, where to find the perfect ketubah for their wedding. And for good reason – a lot of the Judaica stores out there aren't exactly inspiring. But me? Judaica is my obsession. I'm overflowing with ideas for these occasions – I could spend every last penny buying these things if circumstances allowed. If I can't afford to buy everything I want, why not tip other people off on where the cool Jewish stuff is? This website is like my dream vision of what I'd stock in a Judaica store if I had no limitations."
Recently, the ChosenThings website has featured such items as "Eco-Jew" buttons, "Croc" style kippahs, Israeli telephone token cufflinks, luxurious sterling Kiddush fountains, "Heroes of the Torah" drinking glasses, and "Jews For Jeter" t-shirts.
In the pipeline are a host of items geared towards the High Holidays, including New Year's cards, unique honey dishes, unexpected Rosh Hashanah hostess gifts, etrog-scented soaps, handmade Israeli honeys, and numerous children's holiday-themed items.
For further information please contact:
Martha Kimes
ChosenThings
www.chosenthings.com
(602) 595-5752
New novel “transports readers to an ancient and breathtakingly authentic world”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY (Frumwire) Aug. 10, 2008 - In the time of the Bible, if a teenager hurled a spear in an empty forest, impaling and inadvertently killing a passerby, what price would the teen have to pay?
Readers can find out the answer in City of Refuge (author: Valerie Farber; 390 pages, $17.95, ISBN 978-0-9816058-0-7). This novel takes an unconventional route in biblical fiction, relating an untold story set in a biblical society. City of Refuge beckons readers into a fascinating world; readers join townspeople in meting out justice to an ox after its wild rampage through town and accompany the unfortunate teen as he flees to a haven (city of refuge) after the accidental murder– as dictated by biblical law.
City of Refuge probes the feelings of the fugitive, his remorse, the yearning he feels for his home in anticipation of his long exile in a city of refuge, and his terror while fleeing from vigilantes, the relatives of his victim.
City of Refuge is rich in detail of ancient daily life and herbal lore. The novel’s characters grind flour for their daily bread, clean fleeces by soaking in vats of urine, weave wool on a warp-weighted loom, and work bellows to melt ore and extract metal. Village healers make salves and decoctions from plants’ leaves, stems, and bulbs.
Dr. Mike Simpson, author of The Lazarus Project, says: “City of Refuge transports readers to an ancient and breathtakingly authentic world. Farber’s novel is a compelling read, effortlessly drawing in the casual reader as well as the Bible student. Magnificent is not too strong a word to describe this wonderfully written volume that inspires and teaches as it amazes.”
The late Rabbi Jacob Rubenstein of Young Israel of Scarsdale, NY said “City of Refuge is a wondrous journey into the biblical past with historical depth, substance, and style. Not since Michener's The Source have I been so transported to another time and place and so engrossed in the drama of others. Farber has crafted a composition which is worthy of scholars but can be relished by all.”
For more information or to schedule an interview with Valerie Farber, please email info@cityofrefugenovel.com. Books can be ordered from www.cityofrefugenovel.com or Amazon. Review copies are available to the media on request.
Yidsense, the first all-Jewish Pay Per Click advertising platform, connects Jewish bloggers and publishers with businesses that sell products to their audience.
Spring Valley, NY (FrumWire) July 17, 2008 - Jewish news sites and bloggers now have a new way to earn money from their sites. Rather than trying to go after individual advertisers themselves, they can now add Yidsense to their sites for free. Yidsense serves up ads from its pool of advertisers which are relevant to the content of the page, while simultaneously filtering the ads with sensitivity towards religiously-run sites. This is a great boon for advertisers as well, as they only pay when a visitor clicks through to their site.
"We were looking for a way to give niche website owners and blog writers the ability to capitalize on their sites without compromising their values;" says Sruli Goldstein, the founder of Yidsense. "Pay Per Click programs, like Adsense ,do not allow you to truly prevent inappropriate ads from showing up, while the other Jewish ad networks require you to have thousands of unique visitors a day. With Yidsense, we have really combined the best in relevant and appropriate ads with the Pay Per Click model. Site owners can earn 30% or more in commissions."
On the flip side of the coin, Jewish businesses can expect their advertising budgets to be well-spent, as they are paying only for actual clicks from the very audience that they are hoping to reach. "Yid to Yid advertising just makes sense. It's a win-win for everyone,” said Mr. Goldstein.
For more information, visit http://www.yidsense.com or call 845-362-4657.
To advertise, e-mail ads@yidsense.com.
To run ads on your site e-mail publishers@yidsense.com.
July 16, 2008
Contact:
Stephen Steiner
Director of Public Relations
212.613.8318; steiners@ou.org
For immediate release
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE OU’S BIENNIAL NATIONAL CONVENTION,
OU JOB BOARD TO HOLD TWO-PART JOB FAIR IN BOTH THE U.S. AND ISRAEL FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN MAKING ALIYAH
The decision to make aliyah presents numerous challenges – among them finding a new home or adjusting to a new language – but now the Orthodox Union Job Board is making the entire transition easier by holding its first-ever Job Fair in Israel, in conjunction with the OU’s Biennial National Convention in Jerusalem at Thanksgiving. The two-part Fair, taking place in both the United States and Israel and free for both employers and job seekers, will offer multiple employment opportunities for those interested in making aliyah but who remain hesitant because they have not obtained employment in Israel.
Given the OU’s priorities, it is no surprise that aliyah will be on the agenda for the Convention. “For the first time, the OU Convention in Israel will also serve as a job forum for those interested in making aliyah,” said Stephen J. Savitsky, OU President. “Aliyah has always been an important objective of the Orthodox Union. By including the Job Fair in its Convention, the OU will support aliyah by assisting possible olim in their job search. The OU is extremely proud of this new initiative.”
Along with the Jewish Agency, Nefesh B’Nefesh, The Merkaz - YJ Impact! Hadassahand others who will help promote the fair and offer their network of contacts as possible employers, the OU Job Board has devised a unique way to introduce job seekers to employment opportunities in Israel. Part one involves “virtually” interviewing job candidates in New York, allowing them to meet and see their prospective employers in Israel via teleconferencing. All of the job opportunities will be for English speakers. The participants will also have the opportunity to meet communities where English-speaking immigrants tend to live, further making their visit to the Job Fair a one stop-shop not only for jobs but for housing opportunities in Israel as well.
Once the OU’s National Convention takes place in Jerusalem, the week of November 23-30, candidates will actually meet their prospective employers in person in part two of the Job Fair. Based on the success of past Job Fairs sponsored by the OU Job Board, these personal meetings are expected to lead to many finalized “matches” between employer and employee. Those who cannot make it to New York for part one of the Fair still have the option of participating in the second part in Israel, with appointments arranged by the Job Fair.
Michael Rosner, Director of the OU Job Board, declared, “We are holding the Job Fair at the same time as the National Convention so that those interested in making aliyah will not only meet prospective employers, but will also be able to enjoy the programming and camaraderie of the Convention in Israel. The Convention offers discounted rates on hotel and transport to reduce the cost to people who are going to meet their prospective new employers and communities in Israel.”
Mr. Rosner also stated that part two of the Job Fair will welcome English speakers who have already made aliyah but are still looking for employment or are looking to change careers.
For more information, contact Mr. Rosner at rosnerm@ou.org or 212-613-8129.
* * *
The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, represents the fastest growing segment in Jewish life. The OU is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA (Institute of Public Affairs), and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher certification label, the , is the world's most recognized kosher symbol and can be
found on over 400,000 products manufactured in 80 countries around the globe.
www.ou.org
Announcing a new, free service for businesses and organizations in the frum community to get the word out about news in their industries.
NY, New York (FrumWire) July 14, 2008 - With every passing month, more and more of the frum community is getting its news from online sources. Many Jewish newspapers have complemented their print editions with online editions, while other newsblogs and news sites are skipping the print media altogether. Additonally, with the cost and the barriers of e-commerce becoming lower and lower, more people are doing business online then ever before.
Now there is a way for businesses, offline or online, to get the word out in the form of news releases for free. These stories can then be picked up by various outlets, creating more awareness and web traffic towards businesses and their websites and helping boost their SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
To submit a release or to get more information, e-mail pr@frumwire.com.
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