By Shimmy Blum. Helping Businesses Gain New Customers, Knowledge, Contacts, and Political Voice. We are respected for our entrepreneurship and business prowess. We live all around the world. And we are united.

Isn’t it about time we joined forces to strengthen our impact on the business world, while helping each other?

Indeed, the new Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce could not come soon enough. The Chamber will serve as the global umbrella for all of the Orthodox community’s businesses – of all sizes, in all industries – and harness this immense force to the benefit of us all.

With this central infrastructure, the Orthodox community will have enhanced clout within the business and political worlds, improving our prospects at doing business with major corporate entities, and helping to implement laws at the federal, state and local levels.

The unity and interaction that the Chamber will foster within our community is invaluable in its own right. Our communities are all fast growing and both the potential and need to help our businesses are significant. Just recently, Kiryas Yoel and Lakewood, two of our multiple prominent communities, were reported as the fastest growing cities in the U.S*., raising the need even higher for a stable financial footage. Helping members of our broad, diverse communities network will help countless businesses gain new customers, knowledge, contacts and resources.

The Chamber features a range of special programs to incentivize the use of Chamber affiliated businesses; exclusive discounts for Chamber members; and offers a full calendar of educational and networking events to help member businesses advance. Reb Duvi Honig, the Chamber’s founder, says that the inspiration for this latest project came from the great success that the Parnassah Network organization he founded has seen in recent years. The networking power that the grand annual Parnassah Expo and other organization activities have afforded individuals and businesses in our community will be increased multifold with the year-round Chamber.

At the helm of the Chamber is an elite Executive Committee comprised of leading business figures who will lend their experience and wisdom towards the Chamber’s success. A special Public Policy Committee is being setup, focusing on influencing government officials to help community businesses. The Chamber is in the process of setting up individual Regional Committees in major Orthodox community regions to focus specifically on local businesses and Chamber events. Working to facilitate Chamber activities is a group of “Ambassadors” who serve as the local eyes, ears and hands for Chamber programs and events. Businesses and individuals are welcome to apply to join their regional committees or as ambassadors at www.ojchamber.com.

All businesses are encouraged to join as members of the Orthodox Chamber of Commerce complimentary, by adding their listing before October 31, 2014. For more information please visit the OJC website at  www.ojchmaber.com.

“We have dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T’ so that Chamber members and the broader community will see tangible benefits from the Chamber,” says Reb Duvi. “With Hashem’s help, community businesses are looking forward to a much brighter tomorrow.”

 (*Youngest Median Age – as reported by Business Insider)

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