NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 6, 2010) - The Jewish Federations of North America today launched "What's Your #ish?", an integrated online campaign that encourages young Jews of all stripes to share what being Jewish means to them -- their #ish -- while raising awareness of the work of Jewish Federations.
The innovative project went online today with a series of humorous rich media ads, promotional videos on YouTube, and pages on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, all intended to generate conversation on -- and traffic to -- the campaign's dedicated Web site, WhatsYourIsh.com.
On WhatsYourIsh.com, the interactive nature and impact of the project comes to life. Readers are invited to post their ideas of what being Jewish means to them in three places -- on the Web site, Facebook and Twitter -- and to tag their ish with the hash-tag symbol (#ish.) By using this tag, individual entries will be aggregated, contributing to the ongoing conversation at WhatsYourIsh.com. Guest celebrities will also be sharing what being Jewish means to them via videos throughout the campaign.
For every #ish response, JFNA will credit 25 cents to a $50,000 #ish fund for charity. The fund will cover the core thematic needs supported by the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign, including poverty, elder care, Jewish identity, Israel solidarity and more.
While highlighting the fact that being Jewish means different things to different people, the Web site also helps participants learn what being Jewish means to the work of Jewish Federations. To that end, participants are being invited to vote on how they would allocate the #ish fund.
"The #ish campaign is a fun, innovative way for younger Jews to learn about the life-saving work of the Jewish Federations," said Adam Smolyar, Senior Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications at JFNA.
Along with The Jewish Federations of North America, dozens of other Jewish Federations and partner organizations are actively participating in this initiative. The Jewish Federation movement collectively represents one of the top 10 charities on the continent.
"What's Your #ish?" really allows younger Jews to express themselves in a creative way while learning about Jewish Federations," said Jerry Levin, chair of the board of the UJA-Federation of New York, who helped create the campaign. "It's a campaign that promotes an authentic conversation and is built around the social media tools that young people already use."
For additional information, please visit www.jewishfederations.org.
About The Jewish Federations of North America
The Jewish Federations of North America represents 157 Jewish Federations and 400 independent Jewish communities. The Federation movement, collectively among the top 10 charities on the continent, protects and enhances the well-being of Jews worldwide through the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), tzedakah (charity and social justice) and Torah (Jewish learning).
Contact Information:
Media Contacts:
Jeremy Robinson-Leon
212.784.5702
jeremy@GroupGordon.com
Joe Berkofsky
212.284.6714
joe.berkofsky@JewishFederations.org