FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2011 CONTACT: Jessica Rosenblum, J Street Director of Media Relations, office (202) 448.1600 or cell (202) 279.0005. Email: Jessica [at] jstreet [dot] org
J STREET INTRODUCES NEW COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
WASHINGTON—J Street is pleased to announce the hire of three new staff members, who together will lead the pro-Israel, pro-peace organization’s communications effort. Former Jerusalem-based journalist Aliza Marcus will lead the new team as Vice President of Communications. She is joined by Jessica Rosenblum, Director of Media Relations, and Lloyd Cotler, Director of New Media. “At this critical time for Israel and those invested in its future as a Jewish democracy, I am truly pleased to welcome this highly-qualified and committed group of professionals to amplify the voice of the millions of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami. Marcus will oversee all aspects of the organization’s strategic communications. Marcus most recently a communications consultant with the World Bank Group, has worked as a professional reporter for more than 15 years. A former staff writer for Bloomberg News and Reuters, Aliza has written about politics, conflicts and economics in the Middle East and Washington. She was a special correspondent for The Boston Globe in Israel from 1997-2000 and, prior to that, was based in Istanbul for Reuters. A Turkish and Hebrew speaker, Aliza is author of Blood and Belief: The PKK and the Kurdish Fight for Independence (NYU Press), which deals with Kurdish nationalism in Turkey. She was recipient of a National Press Club award for her reporting on Turkey and received a MacArthur grant to research Kurdish nationalism. Rosenblum will serve as the primary liaison and spokesperson to the media and will be responsible for ensuring message continuity throughout the organization’s operations. She comes to J Street from Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications, where, as a vice-president, she worked to build J Street’s public profile from its 2008 inception to the present. Prior to joining Rabinowitz/Dorf, Rosenblum was the Director of Media and Communications for Brit Tzedek v’Shalom–then the largest American Jewish grassroots peace movement. Cotler will direct J Street’s extensive online and social media operations, including the organization’s websites, online campaigns, email communications and social media activism. He comes to J Street after spending years in the immigration reform movement at Reform Immigration for America, where he was a New Media Associate and Interim Online Director. Lloyd graduated from the University of Maryland in 2006 with a major in American Government with a focus on American Political History. He worked for a variety of progressive causes and campaigns, before joining J Street. ###