THE Josh Aronson

 Today I had a meeting on a project (which I can't tell you about yet) which is pretty exciting for me and my company. Over the weekend, I met several people who told me they read my blog and how insightful they find it. So a shout-out to all my fans! For me to know that my work is being read and utilised means a lot. Some people don't know, but I have a dream. That dream is to be knighted. So if anyone in the Royal Family is reading this or anyone has connections, recommend me for a knighthood for my services to Brits in UK and Brits overseas. I was once asked why I am a journalist. My answer was that I believe that through my work and my talent, I can help people and this is what my life is all about. My Hebrew name is 'Ezriel', which means the helper of God, and my second Hebrew name is 'Yehoshua', which means God's saviour. Names have meanings and we can learn a lot about people if they use the meanings of their names for their character. A rabbi contact...

 Did you know a third of those committing suicide in Israel are olim (new immigrants)? This statistic is insane, yet true. Suicide prevention hotlines have no funding for English speaking therapists and so many immigrants have a difficult time getting the help they need in Israel. Fortunately, there is a non-governmental organization that goes above and beyond to help new olim and provides free therapy and other assistance. The NGO is called “Keep Olim in Israel” and I am very lucky and privileged to be on its Board of Directors. I am also in charge of its Government Relations Program which helps olim with bureaucratic issues. Additionally, I am an administrator of Keep Olim’s facebook group, which has over 40 thousand members!  The organization does so much in addition to the mental health program ; it has programs that make sure no oleh (new immigrant) is alone and matches them up with families for holiday meals, the Bikur Holim (Visiting the sick) program where volunteers t...

 I'm not crying, you are! I've just been watching videos of surprise homecomings on YouTube and for some reason when I watch them, literal tears stream down my cheeks, I really get emotional. I've surprised my family several times myself and it is a surreal experience but that's not the topic on my blog today. The topic is emotion. Many people think that people with autism don't feel, but that's not true. We feel but often we just have trouble expressing our emotions. I get scared and stressed, and I feel when someone is hurt or upset. Often you will see me as strong and vibrant, but inside I'm quaking. I find it very hard to tell people that I'm not ok - it is difficult for me. I really need to hear positive feedback for the work I do and for people to say, "Josh, how can we help you?" Like now, in Manchester, I'm trying so hard to find a job but in my field it is difficult. If only I had someone here to sit and sift through applications, ...

 Today I came across a picture from the UAE, it was a McDonald's order. There was a card that said "We see you placed the order from a hospital. We hope you're keeping well - this order is on us! From the McDonalds UAE team. My initial thought was 'Wow!' Kindness in marketing is a very powerful tool. “DON'T JUDGE EACH DAY BY THE HARVEST YOU REAP BUT BY THE SEEDS THAT YOU PLANT.” is a quote from Robert Louis Stevenson that says it all. Kindness is a seed and by planting that seed you can bring about a viral action that leads to a major harvest, to a revolution. Take Greta Thunberg for example, she planted the seed of climate change through one act and it led to worldwide change. In the miracle of Hanukah, we see that even the small and weak are able to beat the powerful and mighty. Even small businesses can become big by doing the right thing. An example of that is Mobileye Systems in Israel: wanting to do a kindness, they hired a few boys with autism to analyse...

 I've shared with you that I have stomach issues, but what I haven’t told you sometimes it’s so bad that I can’t do anything. I feel so ill that all day I am lying in bed with stomach ache, or in the toilet with cramps or gastro coughing. My doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist and on the referral letter it said that if you haven’t heard regarding an appointment by July 22, ring up to check. Last Friday was July 22, so I waited until today to call up. After over half an hour on hold, I got through only to hear, yes, we have a referral but the doctor hasn’t decided which clinic to send you to yet. Really NHS? Is that the attitude we want to hear?  Don’t worry, I have a phone appointment with my doctor tomorrow to try work out what to do.  In the meantime, I want to tell you that my doctor is amazing. A big shout-out to Dr. Adam Shogger, whom I actually first met on facebook group ‘Brits living in Israel’. One day he bumped into me at a clinic while I was there esco...

 It's ok to dream, but at the same time its very important to have a semblance of reality as one dreams can only happen if we take reality to the fullest and then push the boundries. I'm almost 36 years old, and went through hell and back as I pushed dreams before me myself. But once I put myself forward, my lifestyle as a person, I became successful. I'm not ashamed to say because of my dreams I have been in mental homes but that is something that built me, something that defined me that made me understand the realities of this harsh place that is called life. It made me understand life is like a roller coaster, sometimes you're up, but at the same point you get down. But when you're down, you have to go back up. I am percieved as someone in control, but I have plenty people who guide me every step of my way because I know I don't always see the main focus in life.  When I was a young kid, my parents took me to Israel to see Professer Reuven Feuerstein and Pr...

 When I was a young kid, we were told that the ozone layer has a hole in it due to the effect of harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere. Several years later it became extremely hot in Manchester, so I wrote to then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, as I was worried that people were using the wrong chemicals and damaging the ozone layer more. I received a letter back thanking me for bringing this to his attention and telling me that it has been sent to be dealt with. A few days, later I received a letter from UK's Chief Scientist thanking me and explaining the science of how the world revolves around the sun so that the ozone hole returns to the same position every few years and that lead to the hot weather. As a kid, it gave me a great thrill that the Prime Minister and Chief Scientist took me seriously. Around the same time, I also received a letter from the Queen. We had a family wedding in London and being a big family, we had to separate to sleep in different houses. ...

 When my father became a rabbi, I was a small kid who was just starting to read. My father ordered official stationery with a letterhead, I was sitting on his knee and looked at it and asked, "Daddy are you really?" My father was filled with pride. "Are you really a…" He answered, "Yes, yes, my child, I am…" I continued, "Are you really a rabbit?" Suddenly, my father's pride deflated. The cursive lettering made me read the fancy 'I' as a 'T'! Pride can cause anyone to fall. It is what you do afterwards to get up after the fall that matters. It's like a kid on a bike, they fall but if they don't keep on trying, they will never one day win the Tour de France. How does one get back up after a bad fall, especially following the humiliation from that fall? It's by being a small person, giving all you have to become a good person. It's pushing yourself to the full until you become the person you once were. Sometimes...

 Today in England we are experiencing a heatwave with the weather in one location creating a new UK record of over 40 degrees Celsius! Weather warnings are in full force, and people are being told to drink water but instead of being outside enjoying this glorious day, I'm stuck inside. Firstly because an electrician came by to change the lights in our hallway from a candelabra that stopped working, to a beautiful LED spaghetti light. Also, I'm inside because I have classes on Zoom for university and I have a parcel arriving from Amazon, as well as dealing with a dodgy stomach! But yet, I'm happy and ok as I know that yes, I may not be outside, but I'm contributing to things from here. Just yesterday, following my blog reviewing Inbal Hotel, someone tweeted me that they have to try out the hotel. My words are being noticed, my recommendations are being heard. Through the power of my writing, I can make a difference and that is what matters, It's all about writing thi...

 When I left Israel to live in England, I was studying at Ono College. It was my luck that following corona, the studies moved to zoom and as the year moved on, to hybrid studies. The Dean of Students, Dr. Eyal Richter, was very focused on my needs and gave me permission to continue studying on zoom on the condition that I physically come to Israel for exams. Now, of course, I no longer have an apartment in the country, so I had to stay during my visits to Israel in hotels. Three years ago, I did a story on a weekend away at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem for the Maariv newspaper, so I decided to go there again to see what was new and how the hotel had been affected by the corona pandemic. Already prior to the visit, I saw substantial changes that improved the customer's comfort level. I received an email inviting me to do a check-in independently and I filled in basic details on a computer from home in the UK. I boarded a flight, Virgin Atlantic, how not! I really like this company...

 This past weekend, I was invited on Friday night to my mother's sister's home. Her husband, my uncle, is a prominent rabbi in the community, a 'Dayan', which is basically a Jewish judge. A Dayan deals with Jewish divorce cases, he is in charge of making sure that food is Kosher in various factories and restaurants in the community and abroad and many other activities. I was talking with him and he asked what I am doing these days. When I explained to him about marketing and PR, he was fascinated. He had no idea of the importance of PR and marketing. At the end of the meal, we decided that sometime, I will come in and give a presentation to the employees and rabbis at the court where he works. Why does one need PR? The idea of PR is commonly thought to be the act of taking a business and making it more well known. That is correct, but the idea of PR is also to bring the bad into the good. We all have bad reviews, everyone has different opinions about items and things, P...

 Today on a forum I am on, someone asked whether she should change her phone from Samsung to iPhone. My answer was "No. Stick with Samsung". I am a huge believer in Samsung. My wife, on the other hand, has an iPhone. It's our biggest argument. So far, I am winning. I very much enjoy the Samsung Experience. I use the S21 Ultra and I'm really happy with the phone, the quality, ease of use and the quality of the camera. I also own a Samsung watch and the connectivity is incredible. When I answer calls on my watch it's as if I am speaking on my own phone. The android experience is phenomenal and there are so many apps on offer in Play Store that improve the functionality of the phone. All my articles are written from my phone, I can edit videos and use photoshop all from the comfort of my phone. Today's blog is edited by a guest editor Liz Tal as my regular editor, Rachael, went to watch the opening of the Maccabiah in Israel which is graced by the...

 Today I got on the wrong bus. I had a meeting and after the meeting, I was faced with the choice of either a 15-minute walk in Manchester’s current heatwave, or to get on a bus and ride three stops. I opted the bus, but I didn’t look closely enough at the bus stop and soon found myself on a bus going the wrong direction. This unfortunately meant that I had to travel an additional 20 minutes until I got to a stop where I could take another bus to my home, another 30-minute ride!  Luckily for me, thinking i might go out later, I had opted for a day travel pass on the first bus, so at least I didn’t have to pay more. Sometimes we make a small mistake that impacts your life in a big way. But it is how we deal with what happens next, after the mistake is made, that counts.  A big part of marketing is crisis management - knowing and owning up to mistakes is part of that. A few days ago, on a Manchester United forum, I wrote a chant which in my eyes was good for Manchester Unit...

 We love United we do, there's only one United! The joy is incredible as Manchester United win their first on-tour game of the season, a game held in Bangkok, Thailand versus their rivals, Liverpool: the score 4-0. I love Manchester United. I have had a season ticket already for six years and every year on my birthday, I get that season's shirt with my name and age that year. My passion for Manchester United started as a kid. My parents sent me for extra lessons with a noted teacher in town, Suzanne Kushner. While I was waiting for her, I watched her TV. My parents, being very religious, only allowed me to watch football on it. Her son, James, whom I later became friendly with in Israel and is one of Israel's noted tour guides, is a United fan. He made it his mission to turn me into a fan and it worked! Later I found out that my uncles were themselves fans of United. In fact, I once went to a wedding of a friend who the Rabbi of his Yeshiva (Talmudic College) was my uncle. ...

 This post is about a close friend of mine. A couple of years ago, I was working in connection with the Israeli Reds (the Israeli Manchester United Fan Club) and a friend of mine told me that former Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, was a big red fan. I said, "That's incredible!" and made it a mission of mine to arrange for Ehud to come to watch a game on TV with the thousands of United fans in Israel. But how does one contact Ehud Olmert was my question - the answer is Google! Everyone is on Google. It's just how you search to find someone. After an intensive search, I found a family member of Ehud's work email and sent an email. My thought was that if it gets to Ehud, I'll probably receive an answer from one of his staff members or from this family member. But shortly after, I received an email reply and underneath it said the magic words "Sent from my iPhone!" Well besides my distaste for iPhones, sorry iPhone users, I'm a huge Samsung fa...

 Those that know me, know that I'm a huge Manchester United fan, but I also watch other sports occasionally and today obviously was the final of Wimbledon: Djokovic, who was recently kicked out of Australia, against bad-boy Australian player Kyrgios, who is known for his wild parties and romps. The game was enthralling but as we watched on our screens, we also saw many shots of different celebrities, who had come to watch the match, in the crowd. That, ladies and gentlemen, is basically a simple marketing trick. Once you see those celebs at the match, you become interested in being part of it the next year, buying tickets in the hope that you might have a chance of being next to fame. A chance perhaps of bumping into a celeb, who will say hello, or the opportunity to give an elevator pitch and maybe gain their interest and make new connections. For those that don't know what an elevator pitch is: imagine you go into an elevator and the CEO of a company is there beside you as yo...

 A month ago my life changed, Actually to be honest, it is tomorrow exactly a month, the 8th of the month. But I don't post on Fridays and this blog is important, so it is better to be early then late. A month ago Hillel Fuld told me, "Write a blog every day and your life will change!" To be honest, I was skeptical at first, but I took out my trusty phone, opened up the notes and jotted down my first blog. It has been a whirlwind of a first month and I have already received so much feedback about how good it is and how people look forward to reading my blog. To tell the truth, it's not the first time that I have written a blog. I started one several years ago and it lasted two days. I never stuck to it. But now I see where I went wrong. I should have persevered, even a few words every day helps impact not only other lives but helps impact your life too. Not many people know that my grandfather, J.C. Sinason, was an author who wrote several books. When he died, I was ...

 Today I went shopping for some basic items. As I put items in my basket, I thought of how shopping can be compared to life: you pick up one item, look at the price and then you see something cheaper but it's a different brand or a smaller quantity and you're standing there working out percentages to see which is the better deal. I'm sure one has to have a complicated math degree to shop well and so it is in life with decisions. You make one decision but then you must go through it all, deciding what is not only better for you, but also what's better for the people around you. Life is full of choices; it's how we use those choices to create better opportunities. When I was on the Cash Cab tv show, I was offered a final question to double my money or leave with nothing. I said no and walked out with 2500 shekel in winnings. Many people who saw the episode said that decision maximised my credit and rating on the show. When I got married, the original plan was for Esth...

 Today’s blog is about stress. I don’t deal well with stress and yesterday something happened, which I can’t say what it is, but it caused me a lot of stress. Today, I can't concentrate, I have a headache and I feel sick. Yet I went to class as usual, studied as usual and tried to work a normal day. The reason for that is if I let myself go, if I let the dark forces win and just lie in bed, depression kick in. Stress and depression work together and adrenalin in the body combats that force. Yes, I'm frightened. Yes, I don’t know what will be, but I also know that I have good people I can talk to who will always reassure and support me. I have a group of people who I know I can always call and things will go all right. I know that I have people who are there for me at every stage and during every trouble. I know that this trouble will go away like other troubles and life is like a roller coaster -  it goes up but also goes down but then goes back up again.  You may ask wha...

 I had been running errands all day and just got home to lay down on the couch to rest when my phone rang. It was one of my fellow students, "Josh we have been given revision. We need to do this and that to improve our grades for our coursework." Dum dum dum… Murphy's Law… Why am I not surprised! Murphy's Law always hits us when we least expect it and least need it. I had a friend who wrote a script for our class which I wish could have been made into a movie, as I love comedies. Someone was so angry at Murphy that he went to try to kill Murphy. All the way he hit Murphy's Law snags and when he finally got to Murphy, he discovered that Murphy had just died! But life is life and when one has to do something although it is difficult, you must push forward through that glass, that wall that is standing in your path. It is true that at this point all I want to do is sleep but if I push through and I am able to finish my coursework, write that article for the website t...

 I passed my exams! Yay!! I was really worried about my exams. I had been in the middle of studying for my BA in Advertising and Marketing when I left Israel and lucky for me covid-19 changed the way my college worked and with the integration of zoom and online classes, I was fortunate to be able to get permission to continue studying from here under the condition that I return to Israel for my exams. If I had not passed my exams, I would have been required to come back again to retake them and spend another few hundred pounds on flights and hotels. So when the results came in, I shouted out and screamed and more or less frightened the life out of my wife - sorry Babe! I was just so excited! Why was I so exuberant? Well for years I have been dreaming of getting a degree. I think it started when my older brother, Avrom, who had won awards for managerial work, went to University to study management. I asked him why - he had already won awards for management and he's better than most ...