In 1996, two years after the Rebbe’s passing, Rabbi Elkanah Shmotkin began to produce the first posthumous edited video of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.Under his leadership, JEM has evolved into a dynamic organization sitting at the crossroads of preservation, video production, and cutting edge web, social media, and mobile app projects.During Rabbi Shmotkin's stewardship, a phenomenon has evolved where the teachings of a religious leader are studied directly from his mouth, decades after his passing. Leveraging audio and video, preservation, cataloging, filmmaking, access, and other technologies, millions experience moments with the Rebbe on a regular basis. A second generation of Jewry posthumous to the Rebbe's passing considers themselves direct disciples, in large part through these videos.JEM’s flagship weekly videomagazine is viewed in eight languages by hundreds of thousands. With a full-time staff of 40 professionals, JEM serves as a resource for the worldwide Jewish community, as well as to filmmakers, writers and researchers around the world.In 1998, Rabbi Shmotkin founded the My Encounter with the Rebbe oral history project, recording the testimony of individuals with one-on-one interactions with the Rebbe.In 2006, Rabbi Shmotkin launched The Living Archive, an initiative to gather and preserve the recorded legacy of the Rebbe.Addressing the need for JEM's vital work to be placed on solid ground and to create an incubator for new projects, along with a group of generous donors, Rabbi Shmotkin founded the JEM Foundation.At the core of his work is a commitment to studying the Rebbe's teachings and life story and presenting them in ways that are engaging, informative and inspiring. In addition to directing and writing many films, Rabbi Shmotkin is chief editor of numerous books on the Rebbe. He led a multi-decade, multi-continent research project into the Rebbe's life, and co-authored Early Years.In 2024, Rabbi Shmotkin led a group of scholars in an in-depth study of Torah's roadmap to peace in Israel, extrapolated from the Rebbe's teachings. This project led to many works including books, films, seminars and other educational and governmental engagements on the topic, influencing many decisions at critical junctures.He has moderated numerous videos and has spoken for hundreds of educational institutions, conferences and groups on a variety of subjects ranging from the Rebbe's life and the transmission of his teachings today, to archival preservation technology platforms and methodologies.
Listed skills include Video Production, Video, Social Media, Film, and 25 others.
