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PRESS RELEASE
New Parents Create a New Kind of Judaica
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New Company—OyBaby™ Formed to Create Products for Jewish Babies
(and the grownups who love them)
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OyBaby™ Products Designed to Spark a Lifetime of Jewish Wonderment Through
Sight and Song
SEATTLE — November 17,
2003 — Today OyBaby LLC announced immediate availability of its OyBaby™
family of products—a DVD, VHS videocassette, and audio CD made especially
for Jewish babies. Inspired by their sixth month old baby, company founders
Rob and Lisi Wolf teamed with musicians (and sisters) Stephanie Schneiderman,
Lisa Schneiderman, and Kim Palumbis to create an entirely new type of
product for the Judaica market.
Upon previewing an advance copy of OyBaby, acclaimed Jewish musician Craig
Taubman praised “the production value soars, and the music touches your
heart…this is a must have for every Jewish family. OyBaby celebrates the
child in all of us. Mr. Rogers would kvell if he could see and hear OyBaby.”
“With a new baby at home, we wanted a way to introduce him to Jewish customs
and music as we prepared for Shabbat,” states company co-founder Rob Wolf.
“We looked around and couldn’t find a video made just for Jewish babies—so
we invented one!”
The imagery on the video is a colorful mix of Judaica, toys, puppets,
nature, and children designed to be enjoyed by Reform, Conservative, and
Orthodox Jews alike. Between songs, short interlude scenes teach Hebrew
letters, numbers, and vocabulary and show the joy of giving tzedakah. And
because babies love watching other babies, sixteen “OyBabies” ranging in age
from 3 months to 4 years are featured in the video.
The video was edited entirely by Rob Wolf, a product manager in the software
industry whose hobby of video editing made OyBaby the perfect mix of
something the Wolf’s wanted to create and something they knew how to create.
The Wolf’s turned to longtime friend and singer/songwriter Stephanie
Schneiderman to produce the music for OyBaby. Stephanie is an accomplished
recording artist whose music is played on Adult Contemporary radio stations
in the Northwest and was selected as an opening act for the Lilith Fair
music festival. Joining Stephanie in the recording studio were sisters and
singers Lisa Schneiderman and Kim Palumbis. The Schneiderman sisters had
sung together for years at synagogue, festivals, weddings, nursing homes,
and just for fun.
OyBaby marks the first time their beautiful voices have been captured
together in a recording studio. “We had heard the three of them sing
together before, and knew that they could create the exact sound we wanted
for the OyBaby products,” states Rob. “It’s the sound of ‘friendship
circles’ and Friday night services in the woods on a muggy July night—but
with better production values!”
The music is a captivating journey of familiar Hebrew songs for both babies
and any nearby adults to enjoy. From the jungle-drum infused rhythms of Zum
Gali Gali to a swinging jazz rendition of Eitz Chayim, this is one baby
video parents won’t mind watching again and again.
The Schneiderman sisters always had a dream to sing together for a
children’s project. “Since the time we were very small, we would put talent
shows on for our entire family. We’d sell tickets and make tea sandwiches.
Our Grandparents, Parents and Aunts and Uncles would all gather around to
see us perform musicals, singing marathons, and dance routines,” states
Lisa.
Rob and Lisi also had a dream to pass on the Jewish traditions they had
learned from their parents. “Growing up, our parents taught us to celebrate
our Judaism, and music was always a central part of that experience,” says
Lisi. “Now, as parents, we hope to do the same for our son. OyBaby will be
one of the first steps in his Jewish discovery, and we wish the same for
other Jewish babies around the world.”
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Rob Wolf is the originator of the OyBaby concept and the editor/designer of
the video. When not working on OyBaby, Rob has a "day job" as a Product
Manager for Microsoft Corporation. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Rob grew
up with strong Jewish roots in that city's large and close-knit Jewish
community.
Lisi Mezistrano Wolf is the sales and operations arm of OyBaby. Born,
raised, and now raising a family of her own in Mercer Island, Washington,
Lisi also grew up with a strong Jewish identity as part of Seattle's sizable
Sephardic Jewish community. She has recently left the world of
telecommunications to become a stay at home mom to Rob and Lisi’s son.
Stephanie Schneiderman is a professional musician and the producer of the
music on OyBaby. She has released a number of solo CD’s and tours
extensively throughout the Northwest. Her music is played on Adult
Contemporary radio stations in Portland and Seattle, and was selected as an
opening act for the Lilith Fair music festival. More on Stephanie's solo
work can be found at www.stephanieschneiderman.com.
Lisa Schneiderman is a vocalist and the owner of Schneiderman Public
Relations (www.schneidermanpr.com) in Los Angeles. Lisa also spends time
volunteering for many cause related organizations and is a youth advocate
for at-risk youth.
Kim Palumbis is a vocalist, teacher, and mother of two in Portland, Oregon.
She recorded vocals for OyBaby just days before giving birth to her second
child.
For more information:
Rob Wolf, 425-830-7526, rob@oybaby.com
or
Lisa Schneiderman, 310-314-2213,
lisa@schneidermanpr.com
For more information on OyBaby:
http://www.oybaby.com
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