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70 Faces Media to hold Jewish Digital Summit to help Jewish professionals do digital better
70 Faces Media, the parent company of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, is holding a three-day virtual conference in February aimed at helping professionals in the Jewish world amplify their impact online.
The Jewish Digital Summit 2024 will cover everything from how to make TikTok videos to bootcamp-style training on new tools that can improve website optimization, email marketing and graphic design. Suited both for those who attended last year’s Jewish Digital Summit as well as newcomers, the event will feature the latest industry insights and expanded networking opportunities.
Coming amid the backdrop of war in Israel and a surge in antisemitism in America both online and in the streets, the conference will also discuss strategies and tools for effectively combating online hate.
“This virtual gathering for Jewish professionals is an exciting way to learn about how to use the latest technology platforms and online tools, as well as a great opportunity to network with colleagues and experts in the Jewish online space,” said Jennifer Rubin, 70 Faces Media’s senior producer for digital events.
“In an age when everything has a digital component, it couldn’t be more important to be an expert in online communications, marketing and engagement,” Rubin said. “Knowing how to reach people online and engage them effectively is critical for Jewish institutions that want to expand their audience and get young Jews more involved in community life.”
The Jewish Digital Summit is aimed at anyone who wants to reach Jewish audiences online, including professionals and volunteers at synagogues, Jewish federations, schools, camps and other organizations and institutions. Sessions are also tailored to those who work with the Jewish community in strategic consulting, communications, marketing or public relations.
The event will take place on successive afternoons on Feb. 27-29, with each day’s programming starting at 12 p.m. ET. The event has a registration fee of $360. An early-rate of $199 is available through the end of January. Participants can register at Jewishdigitalsummit.org.
Among the featured speakers are Rachel Fish, executive director of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism; author and journalist Mark Oppenheimer, who is now director of open learning at American Jewish University, and Seth Pinsky, CEO of the 92nd Street Y (92Y).
Jewish influencer Karen Cinnamon will talk about how to use Instagram to grow and engage audiences with maximum effectiveness. 70 Faces Media’s vice president of Audience and Digital Strategy, Rebecca Phillips, will discuss how to create and maintain effective online communication strategies, including visually appealing graphics and engaging messaging. A variety of speakers will share their expertise and actionable tips for using myriad technology platforms, including how to use AI tools to improve organizational workflow.
This the second annual Jewish Digital Summit being hosted by 70 Faces Media. Last year’s event, which drew over 600 participants, was organized to help attendees navigate the transformed digital landscape ushered in by the Covid pandemic. The producers of the Jewish Digital Summit also organized a “boot camp” over the summer aimed at helping synagogue professionals and a series of webinars in November focused on operating in a hostile online environment in the context of the war in Israel.
The summit in February will take stock of how online communication continues to evolve and change as we navigate the world after Oct. 7, when Hamas’s deadly attacks sparked the current war and set off a surge in antisemitism in North America and globally.
“What happens online matters,” said Clive Sirkin, president of 70 Faces Media’s board of directors and veteran corporate marketing executive. At this critical time, he added, “we want to help Jewish organizations hone their online strategies and adopt nimble and effective approaches for online growth and engagement.”
Sponsorships of the summit are still available, including booths in a virtual vendor expo, as well as enhanced networking opportunities to meet one-on-one with top consultants in Jewish and nonprofit communications.
To register for the 2024 Jewish Digital Summit, visit Jewishdigitalsummit.org.
70 Faces Media is the parent company of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact summit@70facesmedia.org.
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The post 70 Faces Media to hold Jewish Digital Summit to help Jewish professionals do digital better appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.