ArtScroll 50th Anniversary and Giveaway Featured on JM in the AM

It is in fact America's one and only Jewish moments in the morning radio program heard on listener sponsored digital radio around the world web single.com on the single network and of course on the beloved NSN app. So I said to our friends at art scroll I said uh could you provide for us some really effective and wonderful guest to speak about the uh two major pieces of information. two major developments at Arts Girl headquarters as they celebrate their 50th anniversary. Development number one is that they're literally giving out $10,000 a week. Uh 10,000 Arts Scroll dollars per week for a total of five weeks, $50,000 to celebrate Arts Scroll's 50th anniversary. I know it's insane. It's crazy, but that's the reality. And every all of us can benefit from it or certainly five winners are going to benefit from it. And then there's something that everybody's benefiting from and that is 50 titles per week over these five weeks. 50 titles per week are discounted at 50% off. Could you imagine 50% off? Uh and that list is available at artsgirl.com. Of course, when you check out at artsgirl.com, always make sure to use promo code radio. and everybody gets to take advantage. There are 50 titles each week over five weeks, a total of 250 titles celebrating 50 years of Arts Girl Scroll. Uh and they're doing all of that uh for this uh incredible milestone and celebration. Ellie Drapkin is with us live via telephone. He is the general manager of the Arts Scroll app and he is with us on this Monday morning to discuss even more about this incredible milestone happening at Arts Scroll. Ellie Drapkin, a pleasure to welcome you to JM in the AM. >> Yes, good morning. Welcome. Thank you. So good to be here. >> I appreciate that very much. So, let's start with the uh let's start with the first piece. And you got to you have to tell us the timing because um uh because it's five weeks, but the the new week in the contest and in the sale begins when? What's the exact schedule here? >> So, the new week will be starting as of right now, uh 10:00 a.m. Monday morning. Oh, >> so we'll be switching up. >> That's literally a couple hours from now. >> It's coming up soon. We're very excited for the live draw. We have some actually some really fun guest uh live drawers that are going to be coming in uh to announce the winners of the big $10,000 this week's $10,000 giveaway uh as well as some other fun prizes along the way that we'll be uh raffling off. >> And then keep your eyes peeled for actually at that 10:00 a.m. is when the new week of the next 50 titles will be going live. So, first of all, you have 2 hours to take advantage of last week's which were amazing titles and once at 10:00 those will go away. >> Now, let's really Yeah, let's really get into the technicalities here. Could somebody actually enter week one's contest at this point or that's closed at this point? >> Oh, no. The contest is is fluid. The contest just keeps going. And if you entered today or this past week, you can keep going actually over all these five weeks because we put this real fun thing at the bottom of the giveaway which you can actually go to if you go to artscroll.com/50 is where you can enter. Should nice to add that in. Um, but on the bottom of the page there every day you can add another entry totally free. just come back to the page and at the bottom you get a bonus daily entry. >> All right. So, uh you just gave us a very important piece of information that was not clear to us and that is that once it sounds like once someone enters they're in they're in for the duration of the entire contest. Is that correct? >> Correct. >> All right. So, anybody who actually goes today to artsgirl.com50 artsgirl.com50 joins the contest. They have nothing to worry about. that they're automatically in it until the five weeks are complete. And they are as eligible as anybody else for a $10,000 prize each week when it is um drawn by one of the surprise prize drawers as we call them. All right, Ellie Drafkin is with us live via telephone. So that takes care of that piece. Now we understand how one enters the contest and that they're in for the duration of the contest. Where will they see where ex since we're giving out um uh specific pages, where will they see as of 10:00 a.m. Eastern time this morning the brand new list of the 50 titles that are being discounted in week number two at 50% off. >> Great. So that will be at artscroll.com/50 years. >> All right. >> So all those titles will switch up. That entire list is going to change very soon. And I got to say that this this uh week is an amazing week. It it really some of these titles unbelievable. >> It's funny because when this whole uh contest was introduced to us, that was really the theme. The theme was that you'd expect that maybe a certain type of standard would have to be met to make the list, but whatever that standard is, you've blown completely through it. meaning there's some very very soughtafter titles uh that would be considered really valuable to a lot of people and those are the ones that are being discounted at 50% off. So whoever went through this weeding process, whoever went through the uh uh the committee meeting to decide which 50 happened this week and obviously which 50 go on each and every week. Uh they did quite a job and you're and you obviously are attesting to all this. You're saying that the list that came out or that's about to come out at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time for week number two is stellar. >> It is unbelievable. And even if you look at last week's list, the some of these titles what they are selling out. So for example, the weekly para set which is an unbelievable set >> that that went that flew off the shelves and and this coming week there are some amazing amazing titles. There really is an opportunity because we we didn't you know going through the list and trying to figure out what would make this list or not. Really the criteria was what do we need to have in every single Yiddisha home? What does every Jewish home need? What will enhance every person not just themselves but their entire family, their children, their grandchildren, their kitchen, their every their learning every piece of it. How do we enhance just how do we enhance the the Jewish home? And it's it's really amazing opportunity. >> It's funny. I was I was going to say that that explains why some of the cookbooks are 50% off, but you just alluded to that when you said that the kosher kitchens certainly need uh certain selections as well. Now, once they're gone, they're gone, I assume. Right. Once once the once the item is sold out, that's it. It's over. There's nothing you can do about it. Correct. >> That's it. All right. That price will not come back on these guys. >> Yeah. So once you restock, you're not going to get the same price. So everyone take advantage. And brand new list will be published at artsgirl.com/50 years. Again, artsgirl.com50 years to enter the contest. artscroll.com50. Now, while we have you here, and Ellie Drapkins with us, he's general manager of the Arts Scroll app. I would have to imagine, and I'm not asking you for statistics, and I don't even know what you have, uh, you know, at the ready, uh, but I'd have to imagine that the Art Scroll app in the Orthodox Jewish worldwide has got to be one of the most used apps um, anywhere and everywhere. And I say that of course because one of the uh uh one of the and I hope I have this right. I hope I have this right that the the resource that one of the main resources that people use in general whether there's a sale or not to check out what's available what's new um what what's being reviewed etc etc are all on the Art Scroll app. Am I right that this is one of the most used apps in the in the Orthodox Jewish world? >> I think so. I think so. I bar the the response and and the really just the feedback of people who have been able to use the app in in the most amazing situations. Um I could go on. I mean from literally airline airplane pilots who you know at 30,000 ft once a autopilot goes on and they're telling me that they're learning the dots to uh people we have uh this is an amazing story there's a a mada volunteer who post October 7th told me he accepted upon himself to finish shisha Mishna in all the downtime that he has he showed me a picture he's on an ATV in the middle of the forest as as part of his his setup and he just he learns in all his downtime. It's unbelievable. >> And it's all part of the same app. There's no separate sitter app. There's no separate uh Torah study app. This is all part of the same app. >> We do happen to have a separate sitter app because a lot of people had wanted just a quick access to the sitter. But everything is really in what's called the art scroll digital library. And that's where we have Gamarra and Mishna and Kish and the sitter and now even some new very exciting titles. Uh we just we just released um started to release Pelleoit and the Safino the book of Mitzvah and even the amazing new Tosfas set. Um the actual the first volume which was makos was just released on Friday and it's all actually those three peloates book of mitzvos and batsus volume are all free actually right now available in the app it it's it's an unbelievable resource. It really is and and the people who are telling us that the the ways that they're learning from it and the time that they're able to take advantage it's mind-blowing. It's >> I've even had a guy we I know we had that big uh the big sale last year with Dan's deals >> and somebody sent me right after he said you know I just I bought it because you know everybody it's it was it was an amazing thing and everyone bought it. He said the next day he found himself like many parents do in the emergency room with their son who did something you know crazy and he said he told me these exact words instead of spending hours scrolling endlessly through WhatsApp statuses said I sat there and I learned the entire time. >> Amazing. And I'm glad you cleared that up for me because I obviously thought that you know what we refer as the art scroll app. uh again uh you know obviously such an important resource for Judeaica information etc and obviously purchases uh but you're considering one big uh art scroll digital library uh that's accessible and that's uh and that people could use and again as you just said the sitter app is a separate entity which we get uh and that's very very helpful uh but the arts world digital library you know we we talk about a yam schol to we talk about an ocean of Torah uh you know I know it's not literal but It feels that way that when one goes into your digital library, they could go in a million different directions and just cover so much ground. >> It's unbelievable. And the way that we've built it where all the the sources are hyperl, you could be on the doc and every single reference to somewhere else, you just tap on it and open it up. It's it's an amazing way to learn. And it really is the the feedback across the entire spectrum of Yiddishkite is it's it's unbelievable. >> Really remarkable. Ellie Drapkins with us. He manages the Artscirl app. They've got their massive sale going on as we speak. Go to artsgirl.com/50 years after 10:00 Eastern time this morning. the brand new, excuse me, the brand new list for week number two is going to be up there and it means 50% savings on every title that's there for the duration of the week until Monday of next week. And also, if you go to artsgirl.com/50, artscroll.com/50, you can enter the contest and be eligible to win any week $10,000 worth of Artscroll. It's any week of the five weeks, all celebrating 50 years of Art Scroll. take advantage and make sure you have your entry in and certainly take advantage of the incredible sale items as they celebrate 50 years at Arts Scroll. And um I I I don't I I wonder what's next. I mean, you're you're working on stuff constantly. That's how you were described to me as somebody who's always trying to stay a step ahead in terms of the technology and the things that are able to be offered because of the um you know the the boom in technology. What is next? What what's what's going on in your office when it's not contest time >> so much and there is a there are some amazing like you said technology is unbelievable and grabbing a hold of it has we've seen how it's changed people's lives even from very basic the helping people who have eyesight issues or helping people who have uh ALS and to be able to open up their world of learning learning by the amazing advances in technology is it's thrilling. Um besides the addition of the new content. So as we keep going there's more content being created or not created but we're able to digitize the more and more of the arts scroll library and and give that access really across the globe. You said a great a great line. you said across the globe and worldwide because it is fascinating the the people that are sending in uh you know feedback are literally all over. >> Yeah. I would imagine >> and in some remote places that it's very hard to get a physical art scroll book which you maybe is hard to believe nowadays but there are places where having the digital is is is world changing. It's game changing. >> Oh 100%. And I would guess that your contest entries are also coming in from all over, right? >> Oh, yeah. And one of the cool things we did as an entry is we said, "Tell us how Art Scroll has affected your life." And we have thousands and thousands of amazing Nakas reports that are unbelievable. It is unbel I'm going through the list. It It is It's mind-blowing how pe how it it's literally it changes your life. >> Uh no question about it. And I'm sure Arts Girl Scroll is getting a lot of mitzvah notes. There's no doubt about that. For for all the great work that they've done, that's for sure. Um, is your background very technologically based? Like how does one become a general manager of a of a very important app? Do you leave the technology to others who work with you or is this your expertise? >> Uh, yeah, Bar, we have an amazing team here. My background is in tech and when the opportunity came uh to really blend tech and Torah, it's I jumped on as soon as I could. >> Yeah, I don't blame you. Pretty remarkable. What about your scholars? Do the arts girl scholars have to be kept up to date on the technology or they could just continue to write and uh research and learn and you know put everything together and then and your team worries about the rest? >> That's a great question. So we have I guess the scholar team that is that is writing the meaning the original content how to actually creating the books they have actually we've integrated a lot of amazing technology to support them even as you know simple as being able to easily mark up uh you know uh PDS let's say to integrations of some AI integrations to be able to help the research and be able to really Lisa the yama yam shall Torah to be able to go across the Yamchil Torah and be able to produce um amazing scholarly work at a very high level. >> I mean, somebody has Yeah, somebody has to double check every one of those hyperlinks. >> Those were all verified. >> Unbelievable. That's insane. Do you have a number on those? >> You have any clue what the number is? How many how many hyperlinks >> is it's in the millions? There's so many hyper. >> I mean, think about Adaf Rashi here. Jesus there. Seia Rambama. >> Yeah, I get it. >> It's amazing. >> You wanted to make another point. I interrupted you. What was that? >> Um I was say oh that that there so there's the scholar team that creating the content and then we have the separate scholar team which you're saying of of the hyperlinks that are going through and digitizing this this whole realm and yeah two amazing projects and very high technologically. You must meet a lot of people who know a lot. You must be surrounded by a lot of people. You must be sometimes amazed at their Torah scholarship. It must be unbelievable. >> It must be pretty remarkable. Frankly, >> I will say when you walk through the art scroll offices, you know, you go through a big office building, you see, oh, the CEO and CFO and the thing. You walk through the art scroll offices and you see the meaning the name plaques on on the doors are literally the all stars. The all star of of the Jewish world. >> Yeah, I would imagine. I What's their title? Scholar. Is that their official title? >> No, just just Rav is is all we need. >> That's it, huh? As long as it says rabbi, you know how well wellqualified they are. All right, everybody out there, take advantage. Ellie Drakin wants to see a zillion people enter this contest now that he's been on JM and the AM. Make sure to be uh uh make sure to head to the website artscroll.com/50. Again, artsgirl.com/50. It's an opportunity to get your entry in for the contest. Once you're in, you're in. And that means you're in for all five weeks, including the one that's being drawn later this morning to wrap up week number one of the big arts girl 50th anniversary sale. And then after 10 am this morning, they're going to publish a brand new list for week number two of 50 titles that'll be available for 50% off, which is pretty remarkable. Uh that'll be at artsgirl.com/50 years. artsgirl.com/50ears. Take advantage of all of this, folks. Artgirl is working really hard to get as many Jewish books and digital uh and digital into hands around the world as possible during this massive 50th anniversary sale. Let's make sure we cooperate again. Artscirl.com/50 or artsgirl.com/50ears and obviously all the information at the general artsgirl.com website. Ellie Drakin, uh, manager of the Artscirl app. Anything else that you'd like to add, sir? >> I don't think so. I will say though, when your shipping manager comes over to the marketing team and just says, "Why? Why?" >> You know, you're doing something right. >> We're overwhelmed. Huh? That's what you've been told. They're overwhelmed. Well, that's for sure. I would imag But I have a feel I have a feeling that happens probably every day at Arts Girl that the shipping team feels overwhelmed. I mean, come on. I can only imagine. >> All right, Hash. Listen, is it is unreal the shifts here just constant constant flow of Torah out to the world. Pretty amazing. Truly, truly amazing. >> All right, I hope you'll join us again with an update at some point. Good luck with all of this and thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> It's been a pleasure. Been a pleasure. Oh, thank you. Hataba to you and Haraba to all the people who are joining the contest. Let's pick a really great name later today and congratulate the the winner of the first $10,000 from Art Scroll. Ellie Drakin manages the Arts Scroll app. More coming up. You're listening to a three weeks edition of JM in the AM.