Yom Kippur to Be “No Device” Day For All Faiths
From The Jerusalem Post
Two US marketers are trying to start a revolution with the flick of a switch – specifically, the off-button on wireless communication devices.
Eric Yaverbaum and his partner, Mark DiMassimo, call it “offlining” – deliberately being out of constant touch – and have started an ad campaign calling for Yom Kippur to be a “No-Device Day” for people of all faiths.
“You don’t have to be Jewish…to atone for your texts on Yom Kippur,” one ad reads, featuring a picture of shamed golfer Tiger Woods.
Another ad, accompanied by a picture of Mel Gibson, reads, “You don’t have to be Jewish to give up drunk dialing for Yom Kippur.”
What are these guys selling? Nothing, at least not yet, Yaverbaum said last week. Rather, they’re trying to influence behavior as a public service campaign.
Since starting their initiative in June, more than 10,000 people have signed the pledge on the Web site, http://offlining.com, to have 10 device-free dinners with their families. But, Yaverbaum said, this is just the beginning of the campaign to put a finger in the breaking dike of personal boundaries.
