How much do
you value JWR?

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DECEMBER 10 MARKS JEWISH WORLD REVIEW'S first anniversary. For nearly a year, JWR has published day-in and day-out. We have become not only the premiere Jewish site, but the URL of choice for all people of faith. We are, after all, blatantly pro-religion, pro-family, and in favor of all the ideals that made America great.

But there is now a very real possibility that, come this Dec. 10, JWR could well be scaled back. We may even be forced to close shop.

It depends on you.

Though we've appealed to you before, we have yet to find that one person or group of people, who value JWR enough to keep us afloat without any financial worries.

Folks, the emergency tire that we've been traveling with for that last few months has itself gone flat. Put differently: We're just about broke.

How much do you value JWR?

This query isn't intended to be rhetorical. But more about that later.

We at JWR make no attempts to hide that we're being operated by observant Jews --- individuals who won't work on the Sabbath and spend most their religious holidays in the synagogue. Without exception, every time we suspend publication for an extended weekend or holiday, we are flooded with letters from readers telling us they're suffering from the equivalent of caffeine withdrawl. These folks tell us how much they miss JWR --- and that this is the case only after a day or two.

We want to keep JWR going. According to several studies, internet sites that make it past the first year of operation generally succeed --- and we're almost there. We have every intention of continuing to bring you the wealth of wisdom that JWR is.

But we need your help. And we need it now! We're really running against a financial clock.

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, we made an appeal and only a pitance came in. Those who did send donations often accompanied them by appologies for not being able to send more. We want -- and should have long ago -- personally thanked all who pitched in.

Let me be as clear as possible: Cliched or not, every bit counts. We will not take offense if your token of appreciation is small --- we understand full well that some of our readers live on fixed income, whether as students or retirees; that you would like to give more but simply can't. We're simply not that type of folks. But we do need help and we need it now!

(A very special public thank you to Mr. James B. Kargman of Chicago for his recent unsolicited and generous donation.)

JWR's long-term goals include adding a weekly poll, and an expanded family section that deals with issues such as child-rearing, finance, careers and the like. We want JWR to continue to grow from strength to strength and remain the premiere pro-family URL.

Independent of our readers' support, we are in the process of seeking out grant money. Letters from our many readers would go a long way in swaying those who could, potentially, help us. We wanna know what JWR means to you and why. Have we made an impact on your life? Please keep your letter short (no more than 150 words, or our browser will crash) and mail them to: bljolkov@my-dejanews.com

As a religious education project, we are eligible for tax-deductible public support. Please earmark your donation for JWR, but write your checks to:

Project Genesis
6810 Park Heights Ave.
Baltimore, Maryland 21215.

ALL DONATIONS MUST BE EAR-MARKED FOR JWR OR WE WON'T RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THEM.

In friendship,
Binyamin L.Jolkovsky,
Editor-in-Chief