The Shine a Light on Antisemitism Project wins FOUR 2023 Capital Awards!

Tammy Vineberg with Adam Rozenhart, Adverb Communications

The Shine a Light on Antisemitism Project

As part of a North American movement to educate and call out antisemitism, the Jewish Federation of Edmonton launched the Shine a Light on Antisemitism initiative in December 2021. One of the top priorities of their 2022-25 Federation strategic plan was to advocate on behalf of the community on Jewish causes, including antisemitism. The project involved local artist Lewis Lavoie creating an image of a menorah (the nine-branched candelabra used in Jewish worship) from mosaic tiles that members of the Edmonton Jewish community created. Each tile expresses an individual’s sentiment about antisemitism and allowed individuals to share how antisemitism impacted their lives, as well as educate others on the subject. As a workaround from pandemic restrictions, an interactive virtual art exhibit was utilized.

Photos by Michael Liu

The Project’s FOUR Capital Awards Wins!

Submission details

As professional communicators, we know so much behind-the-scenes work goes into an amazing communication project, so we are sharing more about this submission and what made this project so incredible.

Measurable objectives:

These objectives aligned with the business need to highlight the rising antisemitism across Canada and the United States and educate others about the impact of antisemitism.

• Generate a minimum of three earned media stories by January 12, 2022
• Garner a minimum of 200 viewers for the live stream of the mosaic unveiling on January
  12, 2022
• Have Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi be part of the live stream event on January 12, 2022, endorse the mosaic, and mention how he plans to work with the Jewish community regarding antisemitism.
  

Audience:

According to census data, Edmonton is home to 5,550 Jews which is 35.1 % of the total Jewish population in Alberta. The 2021 Federation survey of Jewish Edmontonians found the top priorities for the organization were fighting antisemitism (identified by 63 % of survey participants), and community safety and security (55 %). The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) reported in a 2021 media release that hate crimes targeting the Black and Jewish populations remained the most common reported by police, representing 26 % and 13 % of all hate crimes, respectively. Our primary audience was the Edmonton Jewish community, and more specifically, those who made tiles for the mosaic. They would want to see the finished art piece and how their sentiments about antisemitism were displayed. Our secondary audience was municipal and provincial politicians who could act on behalf of the Jewish community to keep them safe from antisemitism and local media who could raise awareness about the issue.

How were measurable objectives met?:

The Shine a Light on Antisemitism mosaic art virtual exhibit project met or exceeded all objectives. I evaluated the results of the program through the quantitative number of media hits and social media impressions, Google, and YouTube analytics.

Objective of three earned media stories – results: The project achieved seven earned media stories, all using the project’s key messages with a positive tone. In addition, these stories raised awareness about the impact of antisemitism.
Objective of 200 online views of the unveiling – results: Over 470 viewers watched the unveiling of the mosaic via the live stream, double what was set out for the objective.
Objective of having Mayor Amarjeet Sohi be part of the live stream event – results: Mayor Sohi fully participated in the 30-minute event and endorsed the project while supporting the Jewish community’s fight against antisemitism.

A January 10, 2022, Facebook post about the unveiling received a reach of 2,707 and 69 engagements. An email sent to 1,607 Constant Contact subscribers inviting them to watch the unveiling had 870 opens and a click rate of 2.4 %.

Tammy Vineberg

Tammy Vineberg, APR, is an award-winning communicator who brings a strategic approach to non-profit communications. She has over 16 years of experience in public relations and previously worked as a journalist. Tammy is the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at the Jewish Federation of Edmonton. She is the current president of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Edmonton, the chair for their upcoming 60th-anniversary celebration for the chapter on Oct.15, and a member of the CPRS National EDI Task Force Committee. She is also known as the Montreal Bagel Fairy for organizing a Montreal bagel fundraiser that sees over 17,000 St-Viateur bagels shipped overnight to Edmonton! When she isn’t thinking about communications and planning events, Tammy can be found swimming laps at an Edmonton pool, taking photographs in small Alberta towns, and checking out our local food scene. She is a mom to two wonderful children.

The Jewish Federation of Edmonton

The Jewish Federation of Edmonton was established to bring community interests together. Motivated by the heritage of Jewish people, the Federation provides the community with education, arts and cultural programs, and support for local agencies in Israel.

The Federation’s work is grounded in both values of the Jewish community and business values, which work together to lay the foundation for their work and support their mission to mobilize and develop resources and strengthen relationships to provide leadership in Israel and around the world. This all supports their vision of a “thriving, caring, engaged, and connected Jewish community.”

About the IABC Edmonton Capital Awards

IABC Edmonton’s Capital Awards is Northern Alberta’s premier awards program for communications professionals. The Capital Awards program is your chance to be recognized for your keen thinking, hard work, and creative brilliance. Join the ranks of Edmonton’s renowned communicators and enter your work!

Learn more about the 2023 Capital Awards or see the 2023 Capital Awards winners.