Writing and Consulting by Esther D. Kustanowitz

Another year’s gone by and it’s time for another ROI Summit. This year, in addition to all the behind-the-scenes prep work, I’m teaching 8 hours - that’s right, two sessions of 4 hours each - of social media workshops.

Blogging Basics - Creativity, Conversation and Promotion
This session provides an introduction to blogging creatively through creative exercises designed to help you identify your individual goals for your blog (or other online writing), and learning about the tools that will help you achieve those goals. This class will include the basics on Blogger.com, creating your own blog presence, how to start and continue a conversation on your blog and others, and how to import posts automatically to Facebook and Twitter. We’ll also do a basic overview of how Twitter can be helpful and provide pointers on pitching your projects to the Jewish media. If you are planning to participate in this class please, bring along your computer.

Beyond Blogging Basics - Putting the “Social” in Social Media
Twitter isn’t necessarily about sharing what you had for lunch, it’s about participating in many
conversations, with each “Tweet” a chance to communicate briefly and effectively with your audience. This class provides a deeper look into blogging, Facebook and Twitter as tools for maintaining contact with followers, colleagues, funders etc. Learn how to manage multiple accounts and how to create stronger online relationships. If you are planning to participate in this class, please bring along your computer.

Interested in running these classes (or specially tailored versions of these classes) in your organization or community? Be in touch about creating a social media plan that works for your life, work and budget: esther.kustanowitz at gmail dot com.

What’s kept me so busy in April and May that there’s been no time to update this site? In addition to churning out the pieces for Idol Chatter and elsewhere, I’ve been working with the team to launch the ROI Summit this summer in Tel Aviv, and am leaving California for New York, New Jersey and Israel imminently to prepare. (You can follow all the Jewish innovator action at ROICommunity.org and on Twitter at @ROICommunity.) I’ve also been increasing my experience as a social media consultant, working with a few clients in arts and Jewish leadership to improve their online presence, including activity on Twitter.

As for the articles:

May

American Apparel Settles With Woody Allen Over Billboard

She’s Baaack: Sarah Palin Gets a Book Deal

Winslet Sues, Clarkson Takes a Body Image Beating

April

‘Weeds’ Creator, ‘Tara’ Producer, and the Hebrew Mamita Take on Images of Jewish Women in Media

Adam Lambert Sings…In Hebrew

Nellie Oleson Strikes Back

10 Ways Passover is Like ‘Lost’

Celebs Use Reverse Psychology as Fundraising Technique

You also may have missed this article about a new ridesharing site that’s trying to save the earth and help out people who need a ride: “Going My Way?” (MNN.com)

March has been a bit more eclectic, thanks to my first-ever piece on LAist — I guess this makes me an official Angeleno now:

“Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook - Meet the Local Ladies Behind the Hilarious Website” (LAist.com)

In addition, we’ve got a bunch of pieces in some of the usual places.

On Beliefnet’s Idol Chatter, I reported on Heroes’ actor Greg Grunberg’s use of Twitter; Harry Potter’s suspected position as a “tool of the Ziono-Hollywoodists“‘; big trouble for “Big Love“; Paul Rudd on what must have been the best seder ever; Alice Walker going to Gaza; the Spinal Tap tour; what Jewish Scots wear to shul; and, of course, Homer Simpson attempting to make peace in the Middle East.

Blog highlights include:
* What happens if Crocs go out of business
* My experience at Social Media Jungle NYC
and…
* Jewish continuity vs. environmental activism

Check them out, leave your comments, or inquire about hiring me for writing, editing or consulting purposes…

One of the reasons I love writing at Idol Chatter is because I get to write about lots of pop culturey goodness: from Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming Nazi splatterfest, “Inglourious Basterds,” to the “Little House on the Prairie” musical starring (yes!) Melissa Gilbert as Ma Ingalls, and even to the Star Wars workout that will turn Jabba the Hutt into a lean Jedi.

For a list of my February posts, click here.

LimmudLA, an annual post-denominational, multi-generational conference exploring all facets of Jewish life and identity in which everyone has something to learn, and everyone has something to teach is being held February 13-16 in Costa Mesa, CA, and I’m involved with four sessions…times and room assignments will be revealed on site, so if you’re going, make sure to look for me on the schedule and running around the conference.

Reshaping the Jewish Future: A Look at Young Jewish Innovation Worldwide
Jewish demography studies have focused on the dwindling birth rate. But beyond the numbers panic, Jewish innovation and creativity has seen unprecedented growth as a cohort of young Jews are changing the Jewish future through creative programs. Join representatives of the ROI Community (a global network of Jewish leaders in their 20s and 30s) for a discussion about community partnership with these new initiatives and a glimpse into how globalization may affect the Jewish people.

The Singles Scene: Jewish Dating in the Age of J-Date
Scott Perlo, Esther Kustanowitz, Suzannah Warlick
It has been said that all is fair in love and war, but is everything really fair in the pursuit of love? What are the “sins” of modern dating and matchmaking? How does the Internet affect how we connect with (and sometimes disparage) each other? What do Bible stories teach us about relationships? And how can we as Jews apply our ethical code and tradition to the process of matching ourselves and others? Our panelists explore ethical dating in the modern age.

‘Jews’ Line is it Anyway?: Basic Improv for Jews
Let’s face it: we may be the people of the Book, but our history, while widely documented after the fact, is not pre-scripted. As a people, Jews have always improvised in daily life and our adaptability, intelligence and humor have helped us become an active part of comedy and popular culture. Join other beginning improvisers for basic improv icebreakers and some light cultural analysis of what makes these short-form improv games “Jewish.”

Writing Workshop: Find Your Megillah
There’s a megillah inside every Jew, not just those named Ruth and Esther. Jews are natural storytellers because our faith is based in oral and then written history. But what makes a story worth telling and retelling, generation after generation? In this experimental writing workshop, visit some noteworthy texts from Jewish tradition and engage in free-writing exercises based on and inspired by those texts.

I’ve been hard at work this month, helping ROI prepare to relaunch their website (coming soon), preparing for upcoming conferences (LimmudLA and Jewlicious Festival 5.0, I’m looking at you), conducting private blogging workshops, and of course posting pieces on topics like Lost and Bible Study, religious and pop culture lenses on dating, a review of the new documentary “Blessed is the Match,” and others over at Idol Chatter (click here for the January archives).

I also spoke on “Jewish Dating Ethics” at a private home in Los Angeles, as part of a mini-conference sponsored by LimmudLA, and debriefed from the speech I gave in December as part of the “Sex and Relationships” panel convened in New York by Zeek Magazine at the 92Y Tribeca.

I also found time to cover the “Women to Watch” conference for the Jewish Journal in LA.

In the coming months, I hope to finalize summer plans as well as line up speaking engagements and writing/editing jobs in LA, New York, Jerusalem and many other places. Want to be on my itinerary? Book now: esther.kustanowitz at gmail.com.

West Coast Esther is now back on the West Coast for the foreseeable future, becoming more involved in her California life and staying on top of her work for clients such as ROI and Beliefnet, and branching out to become involved in some initiatives on the local level. Hopefully, I’ll have more to share about that stuff later. But for now, here’s some recent writing you may have missed over at Beliefnet:

George Clooney Opens a Whinery for Christmas

New Year’s Resolutions for Celebrities

Calendar Boys: Mormon Hunks and Nice Jewish Guys Strut Their Stuff

Virgin Mary, Playboy-Style

Lights and Songs in the Key of Hanukkah

You can always check MyUrbanKvetch.com for additional writing on popular culture, and lots of other things, including encounters with Emmy-Award-winning writers and commentary on contemporary Jewish life. And for an inside look at some of the people who make ROI Community such an innovative group, check out ROI120.com.

I’ve moved to LA for a new adventure, but will be visiting NYC regularly. Next scheduled visit is for participation in a panel on December 11th. So while I’m making the trip, if you’re interested in booking me for a December gig, be in touch! (jdatersanonymous at gmail)

I recently left my position as senior editor at PresenTense to concentrate on other projects. But in the first moments of the new year, I thought it might be interesting to see where I’ve been article-wise during my tenure:

Two Jews, Three Blogs: Inside Jokes, Inner Dissent and Inner Life from Bloggers of the Tribe (PDF, page 13)
Zionism and Me: Wrestling With Israel
The Hebrew Slanguage: Unpacking the Junk from Israel’s Trunk (with Jacob Shwirtz)
Man With a Plan: Avi Liberman (profile)
Jews’ Line Is It Anyway? Why the Chosen People Choose Improv

Every article I wrote there was about something important to me, and it was a real treat to be able to explore those issues in print, for an audience of my peers. Interested in reprints? Contact me and we’ll talk about the possibilities…

Since Tuesday I’ve been here in Jerusalem, thanks to the Nefesh B’Nefesh flight which imported me in order to introduce me to their work in bringing Jews to Israel for aliyah, and on occasion of the first international Jewish blogger convention. Coverage of that has been all over the web, including at MyUrbanKvetch and Jewlicious, and in several print publications as well, including Ynet (in which I’m quoted) and Haaretz (in which I’m not quoted, but CK from Jewlicious and Friend of Esther Benji Lovitt–of WhatWarZone.com–are).

I also did three radio interviews, for Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) and Reshet Bet (Channel 2) in Hebrew and for IsraelRadio in English. (Links to come when I have them.) The Hebrew interviews were difficult, but hopefully I didn’t sound too insane. You’ll be the judge of that when the links go up, I’m sure…

Here are some links to press coverage which contain quotes from me:
Jewish Journal (Los Angeles)
Ynet (Hebrew)
Ynet (English)

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.