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February 27, 2004/Adar 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 23
Ads reach out to unaffiliated
LEISAH NAMM
Managing Editor
In an ongoing attempt to reach unaffiliated Jews in the Southeast Valley, three Jewish organizations are placing ads in local publications about Purim celebrations.
Tri-City Jewish Community Center, Temple Emanuel and Temple Beth Sholom got a $10,000 grant from the Jewish Community Foundation last May with a proposal to reach out to non-affiliated Jews and invite them to participate in Jewish-related activities.
The first ads ran in September, advertising High Holiday services and programs; a second series ran before Hanukkah.
They've chosen to advertise during times of the year when unaffiliated Jews may want to do something Jewish, said Ilene Blau, executive director of the Tri-City JCC.
The most recent ads notify readers about the East Valley Purim carnival to be held noon-4 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at Temple Beth Sholom, a Conservative synagogue in Chandler. The ad also lists other Southeast Valley Purim services and events.
The ads will run in The Arizona Republic, The Chandler Connection, The East Valley Tribune, the Ahwatukee Foothills News, Jewish News of Greater Phoenix and the Wrangler News, said Rabbi Andrew Straus of Temple Emanuel, a Reform congregation in Tempe.
With grant funds, the organizations also established the East Valley Jewish Resource Hotline that includes a Web site, www.tricityjcc.org/getconnected. The site provides contact infor mation for Southeast Valley Jewish organizations, in-cluding Chabad of the East Valley, Hillel at Arizona State University and the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. The hotline phone number, 480-897-0588, connects callers to the Tri-City JCC.
Is the effort working?
"I haven't noticed a remark-able influx of phone calls," Blau said. However, "there's certainly enough interest generated in the organiza-tions. Whether the ads promote that, or it's just a general influx of people moving to the community, it's difficult to ascertain."
The program's success is difficult to measure, Straus said.
Even in the absence of concrete evidence, "it doesn't mean there hasn't been no response to the ads," he said. "It's very likely that some people saw the ads and came to events or (the ads) inspired them to go ahead and do something.
"At this point, it's not measurable."
Remaining grant money will go toward advertising Passover events and possibly summer programs, Blau said.
"I don't feel like it's been measurably as successful as we anticipated up to this point, but we're only halfway through the grant cycle," she noted. "I think it was a worthwhile endeavor for the East Valley community organizations."
The current collaboration isn't the first for the three organizations. They have co-sponsored educational, social and holiday programming for several years.
"How the three institutions work together is a great model for the community," said Rabbi Bonnie Koppell, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom. The grant enables them to get the word out about Southeast Valley Jewish events, she said. "We really appreciate the support."
Straus noted his gratitude to the foundation and the federation for their support.
"It once again reminds us, as a community, of the hard work we all need to do to reach out to those who are unaffiliated (and also to) think creatively about the ways in which we do that," Straus said.
"I don't think any of us could afford to do this on our own."
Contact the writer at leisah_namm@jewishaz.com.
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