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JNET Newsletter: March 2017: jnetonline.org

VISIT US ONLINE
In This Issue:
  • New This Month: Rabbi Series & New Website
  • A Special Thank You from the Board
  • Israeli Festival
  • Kosher Rules
  • JNET Cares
  • JNET in the News
  • Involvement Opportunities
  • Speaking Opportunities

JNET Incorporates Jewish Values into Networking

photo of JNET Chairperson Jackie Mendelson

By Jackie Mendelson,
JNET Chairperson


JNET Member Testimonials

Many of us just finished celebrating Purim. This festive holiday evokes many memories of our childhood and family. It is also a time to make new memories with our children and grandkids, reading the Megillah, dressing in costumes, and of course, there must be Hamantaschen!

And Purim, as with many of our holidays, is bittersweet. The “Jewish Mardi Gras” is a time to celebrate a great victory of Jewish survival and to honor our superheroes Queen Esther and Mordecai for defeating Haman, who had a beef with Mordecai because he refused to bow to him.

The bitterness of our history as a people is as much a part of the fiber of our existence as Jews today, as it was in ancient times. We would not bow then, and we will not bow today or allow our faith and beliefs to be challenged, denigrated, or diminished. Who would ever have thought that the persecution of Jews would still be so great in the 21st century; and not just in the Middle East or Europe, but in the United States as well?

We are all shocked at the recent vandalism in our sacred cemeteries. We find it hard to fathom that people are calling bomb threats into our Jewish Community Centers and places where our children play. We wonder how it can be that this horrible sound of bigotry is still aimed at our people. We look for a sense of security while synagogues all across the nation install gates and hire private security guards. How can we stand with each other during these uncertain times?

What does this have to do with JNET, you might ask? I’m getting to that

In biblical times, Jews would raise crops, leave a corner of the field unpicked to share with those less fortunate, bring a portion to the temple as a gift to the spiritual leaders, and the remainder was sold, bartered, and consumed.

We no longer live in shtetls or villages, and worshipping in a temple is not the only gathering place and activity we share. In addition to caring for our spiritual wellbeing, we must care for our emotional and economic wellbeing, including our families’ and community’s welfare.

In our contemporary times, we find people of honor with whom we conduct business. We seek to support those we care about by referring business to them or providing them with high-quality goods and services. Our word and intention affect our reputation. It is personal. JNET is personal.

The premise of JNET is to be the premier Jewish Business Networking Organization. To make this happen, we must strive to lift each other up, be supportive of other’s businesses and conduct ourselves with fair-minded ethics and integrity.

New This Month

JNET's From the Rabbi Series Launches

Rabbi Brian Shuldenfrei photo

Launching next week, JNET unveils a new series of Jewish rabbinic teachings about how Jews should conduct business — with each other, and within the broader community.

JNET is very honored to have several distinguished rabbis contributing. Tune in to the JNET website next week for the series launch, presented by Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei of Congregation Ner Tamid in Palos Verdes, and return each subsequent month for a new topic and fresh rabbinic perspective on doing business halachically.

Each monthly series will appear on JNET’s website. Be sure to visit the Rabbi Series page: www.jnetonline.org/RabbiSeries (accessible from JNET's home page), and tell your family, friends and colleagues about this special opportunity to become an even better businessperson!

JNET Launches New Website Look & Feel

new website image

JNET's website, jnetonline.org, is new and improved! New design, navigation and layout provide easier access to useful JNET information and news. Take a tour and get to know many of the site's new features, including:

  • News & Events: Get the scoop on what’s happening at JNET in the "Latest News" section. Also within the News & Events navigation menu, find the Rabbi Series, news and photos about past and upcoming events, JNET press releases, news articles, and TV interviews.
  • 5-Minute Surveys: Participate in JNET's brief quarterly surveys, beginning with this spring's simple, five-question survey on networking tips and programs. Provide your insights and feedback to make JNET more beneficial to your business. Log in and Take the Spring Survey Now!
  • Take Action: Explore ways to make a difference for your business and JNET in the "Take Action" menu, visible to members upon logging into the site. Get the information you need to give a winning JNET presentation. Be a leader, sponsor a meeting, and learn how you can represent your business and support JNET.
JNET Website Features

Members are strongly encouraged to log in to view a more robust menu, with more options than before. So grab your password, and start exploring jnetonline.org's new look and informative content!



A Special Thank You from the JNET Board

new website image

The JNET Board would like to offer its gratitude to Larry Estrin, owner of Eugene Photography and Video and Maury Gomberg of Video Services Un-Limited, LLC for their respective photographic and videographic contributions at JNET events. The Board also thanks Marc Gold, owner of 24KT Sound & Video, for his efforts in developing a JNET marketing video. We appreciate the quality of your work and your generosity more than we will ever be able to express to you. By documenting JNET events, you help the organization create a living history of where we came from and where we are going. It is an invaluable service. Thank you very much!

View compilations of photos and videos by these members on the new JNET website Special Events, and JNET In The News webpages.


Israeli Festival, May 7: Volunteers Needed!

Israel Festival

JNET will once again have a booth at the Celebrate Israel Festival, sponsored by the Israeli American Council. We need volunteers to staff the booth. JNET members who volunteer will be allowed to put out their business cards on the table.

For details or to sign up, please contact Jennifer Maraia at 310-467-1666 or Jennifer@MomtheRealtor.com.

 


Kosher Rules

JNET has received feedback from a few synagogues where its chapters meet asking that we more stringently adhere to Kashrut. To do that, we are asking Chapter Leadership teams to inform speakers to avoid bringing any pre-cut fruit (instead, bring whole fruits such as bananas, grapes, tangerines, etc.) and to only bring cheese that has been purchased at a Kosher grocery store and has the kosher symbol on it.

Please take a moment to view JNET's Kosher Guide online at www.jnetonline.org/KosherAtJNET. We appreciate your cooperation on this matter.

JNET Kosher Guidelines

JNET Cares

  • Mazel Tov to Barbara Kingston whose son Jonathan and his wife Cassandra welcomed a new addition to their family, a daughter named Emerson. She joins big brother, Jack.
  • Congratulations to Kolton Goodman, David Goodman's son, who has joined Ben Tadelis and Jackson Schwartz's team at Morgan Stanley in Woodland Hills. Kolton had been with Morgan Stanley in Austin, TX.
  • Condolences to Janis Shine, whose brother David Goldberg passed away on February 28 at the age of 77.
  • Welcome back Miriam Begg who had taken a few months off from her duties on the JNET West Hills Leadership team due to an injury.
  • Wishes for a fast recovery to Jackie Mendelson after her recent surgery.

If you have news about JNET members (business successes, mitzvahs, get well wishes, condolences, etc.), please contact Sandy Hollander at sandy@letsgotrvl.net or Max Izenberg, max-2223@hotmail.com, Co-Chairs of the Care Committee.


JNET in the News

  • JNET’s “How Jews Schmooze” ad will appear in the March 31 edition of the Jewish Journal. The ad will appear again in the May, June, September and November issues. We are grateful to JNET Board Member Judy Robitschek of robi-chex graphic design + production who designed this eye-catching advertisement.

Involvement Opportunities

Volunteering is the best way to develop deeper relationships, get known by JNET’s leaders and members and strengthen personal and business connections. Please consider lending a little of your time, energy and expertise to the growth and success of JNET by taking one of the chapter positions available or considering what you can contribute to our organization on the committee or Board level. You can assist with PR or the functionality of our website, help chapters fill their speaker slots, be on the Social Committee and help plan our mixers—or fill a void that is yet to be discovered.

The Thousand Oaks chapter is in need of a Public Relations/Eblast Coordinator. The position involves adding meetings to the online Calendar, creating flyers, emailing meeting notifications, and posting information on social media and online bulletin boards. No previous PR experience is necessary, though good writing and computer skills and attention to detail are a must. Training will be provided. For more information, contact JNET Thousand Oaks President Steve Marche at 805-374-6000 or ThousandOaks@jnetonline.org.

If you are interested in serving on a JNET committee, please contact Judi Lirman, Chair of the Nominating Committee, at 818-939-7098 or JudiMFT@gmail.com.


Speaker Opportunities

Under JNET's rules and regulations, members can speak at a chapter meeting twice a year (every 181 days) but not at the same chapter in the same calendar year. In the past, JNET’s Board of Directors has given special dispensation to new and smaller chapters, that are enthusiastic about growing their membership but are meeting with some obstacles in that pursuit, allowing them to have members speak without it encroaching on the two-time speaking rule. The Board is giving this dispensation to the JNET South Bay, Tarzana AM, and Thousand Oaks chapters for a period of six months in the 2017 calendar year. For more information, contact JNET South Bay President Eran Conforty at econforty@gmail.com, Tarzana AM President Phil Blum at 323-823-2479 or pblum@financialguide.com or Thousand Oaks President Steve Marche at 805-374-6000 or ThousandOaks@jnetonline.org.

If you have any other questions, please contact Judi Lirman, JNET Vice Chair, at 818-939-7098 or JudiMFT@gmail.com.


JNET Contact Information:

Chapter Support/Nominating Committee – Judi Lirman, Judimft@gmail.com
Care Committee – Sandy Hollander, sandy@letsgotrvl.net and Max Izenberg, max-2223@hotmail.com
Finance – Randy Michel, CPA rmichel@wongholland.com
Growth – Jackie Mendelson, jackie@tastymagic.com
Membership – Dalia Hayon, dalia@daliahayon.com, and Max Izenberg, max-2223@hotmail.com
Programs/Speakers – Jennifer Maraia, Jennifer@MomTheRealtor.com
Public Relations/Communications – Robin Kellogg, robin@yourwritingresource.com
Facebook Page – JNET Administrator, info@jnetonline.org
LinkedIn Group – Stuart Fried, stuart@whereyouexcel.com
Social Events – Sandy Hollander, sandy@letsgotrvl.net, and Gail Salem, gailmsalem@gmail.com
Website – JNET Administrator, info@jnetonline.org
Other questionsinfo@jnetonline.org


Stay Connected and Join the Conversation:

JNET Facebook Link       JNET LinkedIn Link

In addition, six of our chapters have their own Facebook groups or pages:

JNET
West Hills


JNET
Santa Monica


JNET
South Bay




JNET
Thousand Oaks


JNET
Valley Village


JNET
Woodland Hills



 
Corporate:
4919 Topanga Cyn. Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Contact:

Jackie@
tastymagic.com