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JNF @ SXSWKnown for its innovative technology panels, music sets, films, and startup brand showcasing, South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin was an ideal venue for JNF to showcase the original Startup Nation and share JNF’s vision with a new audience. For its first time at the festival, JNF partnered with #OpenShabbat to host a Shabbat dinner that drew 250 attendees. Another first: JNF sponsored the first-ever kosher Latin food truck, Kosher Carne, with delicious food by celebrity chef Deborah Benaim. As festival attendees waited in line, members of JNFuture Austin talked to them about JNF’s mission and why JNF wanted to be part of the SXSW conversation. We asked some new (and old) friends that we made about what they thought of JNF’s presence at SXSW.

David Yarus, mllnnl

How many years have you been attending SXSW? What brought you to SXSW?

I’ve been attending SXSW for four years, each year attending for the same reason - inspiration from friends, colleagues, and people from around the world who share my passion for social media, technology, and all things #future.

What did you know about the work of JNF before SXSW? What did you learn at SXSW?

I have been well aware of JNF before SXSW, but seeing them at SXSW made me realize they “got it” on a different level.

Do you think JNF should return to SXSW? If so, in what capacity?

JNF should be there every year, for so many reasons: To connect with, engage, and inspire the next generation of Jewish entrepreneurs and philanthropists; to better understand technology trends, where the world is going, and how to stay relevant; and ultimately, to be one of the only Jewish organizations forward-thinking enough to have an active presence there!

David Yarus is the Founder of mllnnl, a millennial marketing agency that helps global brands and organizations understand and engage the millennial audience. He is also the founder of JSwipe - the world’s largest and fastest-growing Jewish dating app – with over 100,000 users across 70+ countries.

Chaim Haas, Glide

How many years have you been attending SXSW? What brought you to SXSW?

I have attended the Interactive portion of SXSW since 2010. The first year I went, I attended as a representative of the PR agency I was working for that was just beginning to develop a social media offering for our clients. After that first year, I have always gone to support the presence of clients like Foursquare and Skype at the festival. This year, I went to help raise awareness of Glide (www.glide.me), the Israeli live video messaging startup for which I now run Communications/PR.

What did you know about the work of JNF before SXSW? What did you learn at SXSW?

JNF is more than about trees. It is involved in funding all kinds of projects that connect the Jewish people to the land of Israel. Many of these programs are critical to the future of the land of Israel and the people who live there.

Do you think JNF should return to SXSW? If so, in what capacity?

Yes. The JNF has the opportunity to not only connect SXSW to Israeli startups, but to the land and culture of Israel. While this year’s food truck was a terrific effort, I would rather see JNF exposing SXSW attendees and the Austin food blogger community to Israeli food (and perhaps music), as well as to Israeli startups through a more “official” SXSW event that is open to all attendees that register. Plus, this will also make it possible to attract some of the more than 7,000 journalists who attend SXSW and can share with their audiences the strength of innovation coming out of Israel. n

Chaim Hass is Head of Communications for Glide, a video messenger app that sends and receives video messages that can be seen live (as they are being recorded) or later (like a text message).

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