As 2016 draws to a close, Duvi Honig, Founder and Director of Parnassah Network and the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce (OJC), reflects on what has been a whirlwind year. And, by all indications, 2017 will, b’siyatta dishmaya, see these entities rise to even greater heights.

Within the past twelve months, another spectacular J-Biz Expo and Business Conference was held, cementing the annual event’s place as the largest and most diverse Jewish community B2B event in the world. This past year also saw a record number of Parnassah Network professional business seminars, with top level business personalities covering the hottest business topics of the day. The number of individuals in our community, from around the world, who experienced newfound business success, or found a well-paying job, as a result of these venues cannot be overstated.

Behind the scenes, day after day, this a story that repeats itself many times over. Parnassah Network staff member field a steady stream of calls from people seeking assistance in business or vocational matters, and handles countless interactions through its online jobs board and other platforms. Similarly, nary a day goes by when Parnassah Network doesn’t receive phone calls and/or emails from people sharing their business or vocational success stories as a result of the organization.

This has been the motto of Reb Duvi’s klal work since 2009, but it has now reached new horizons.

The OJC is now harnessing the clout of its vast network of community members and business leaders to make a real difference in U.S. government policy. The OJC has a robust public policy division, led by an Executive Public Policy Committee, that works with governmental leaders to improve the economic climate for members of our communities. The OJC has relationships extending from the local level, to the state level, to the federal level, through the halls of power in the White House.

The OJC’s stature is such that it was recognized at a special Jewish Heritage Month luncheon in the U.S. Senate, headlined by a bipartisan group of influential senators. Over the past year, Duvi Honig, Dr. Joseph Frager and other members of the OJC Executive Public Policy Committee built strong relationships with leading members of the Trump campaign and incoming administration, including Jason Dov Greenblatt, the president-elect’s top Jewish aide and future Special Representative for International Negotiations; and David Friedman, the nominee for US Ambassador to Israel. Leaders of Team Trump and the OJC held a multitude of meetings in Trump Tower in previous months – discussing the Jewish community economy and other pertinent issues – forging a relationship that will pay great dividends throughout the Trump presidency.

One focal point of the OJC public policy division as of late has been the U.S.-Israel relationship, in the recognition that a strong relationship helps Jewish community businesses in both countries, while a weak relationship harms them. The OJC has aggressively lobbied to defeat the BDS movement and anti-Semitism in the UN and US government. Just two weeks prior to the devastating recent UN vote against Israel, the OJC was alone amongst its peers and held a nationally publicized press conference at UN headquarters along with former Ambassador John Bolton and Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America. The leaders warned the world that the Obama administration was about to abandon Israel at the UN, which would hurt the prospects of peace and stability in the region.

Turning to the upcoming year, January is already an action packed month. The OJC is leading a trailblazing U.S.-Israel Economic Alliance mission to Israel, headlined by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a close ally of President Elect Trump. The mission will include a special Knesset symposium, VIP business networking dinner and private dinner with President Ruvi Rivlin. Chief Rabbi David Lau, along with leading Israeli government officials and business leaders, will feature at mission events, and discuss effective strategies at strengthening U.S.-Israel economic ties, particularly after the Obama administration’s harmful moves.

Back home, the OJC is making reservations for its January 17th seminar on the Amazon private label industry, a hot new niche in Amazon sales. “We are pleased to be able to utilize our clout and networking power to help Jews and businesses around the world,” Reb Duvi reflects, “but ultimately what gives me most satisfaction is what goes one behind the scenes at our office each day: one yid helping another advance in their parnassah goals.”

For more information about Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce and Parnassah Network activities, please visit http://www.ParnassahNetwork.com or www.ojchamber.com.

[TLS – Press Release]