Kosher Calling

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Daniel Aharonoff was at morning prayers at his synagogue in Encino when a fellow worshipper’s cell phone rang, with a tune that made him smile, rather than cringe.


The ring tone was by Matisyahu, a popular American reggae artist who also happens to be an Orthodox Jew.


“I thought it was really cool, and later I went to try and see what I could find online in the way of kosher or Jewish content and there really wasn’t anything at all,” Aharonoff said. “That was the genesis of the idea.”


That idea has turned into Yidtones.com, a Web site launched early this month that sells a collection of Jewish-themed premium mobile content.


A 37-year-old Orthodox Jew and entrepreneur, Aharonoff has experience in technology, having worked with corporate clients in streaming media for 12 years. He teamed up with Rob Cait, a voiceover performer who also attends Chabad House, Aharonoff’s synagogue. They produced 30 Yidtones, all recorded over several hours in a sound studio.


So far, the Yidtones.com offerings cover a range of funny, spiritual, traditional Jewish and less Judaic-centered content. There are some lighthearted ring tones, such as, “It’s your mother, do you want to let this one go to voicemail?” and “Be a mensch.”


Thanks to Aharonoff’s tech background, he knew where to go to get the site up and running quickly, using a third party mobile content sales platform called Msgme from San Francisco-based Waterfall Mobile, where Aharonoff serves as a director. He claimed the domain name “yidtones,” then set his download prices at $1.99 each. He contracted with a graphics firm in India to design the site.


The Web setup allows Aharonoff to track purchases by area code, and so far Los Angeles, New York and Florida are at the top of the list. The number of ring tones downloaded reached into the thousands over the past two weeks.


Aharonoff has plans to sell Jewish-oriented wallpapers, games and video clips in the near future.

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