Women of Other Faiths
Using common values contained in their respective teachings, women of all religious traditions can work together and collaborate in many areas especially peace building and women’s empowerment. Collectively women of all faiths can learn from each other’s struggles and histories, while showing support for women’s religious leadership roles worldwide. Please contribute to this archive by suggesting women of all faiths to be featured through our recommendation form.
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Alona Elkayam
This is America. This is about tolerance. We have to care about other’s people’s religious freedom, not just our own.
Known For: Cultural commentator and branding consultant
Faith: Judaism
Country: Afghanistan
About
Founder of the award-winning design consultancy 321Takeoff, Alona Elkayam is a successful branding strategist and “cultural sweetspotter.”1 For over 15 years, her firm 321Takeoff has engineered global, creative solutions in building recognized brands. Her work on a series of high profile ad campaigns enabled her to start her first company, Gimme 5 Productions, which developed websites for well known New York institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and New York Life.2 Alona later sold the company and worked in a series of senior creative lead positions focusing on corporate identity, outdoor marketing, online branding, and television.3
Using her background in design and branding, Alona has emerged as a unique voice within the larger discourse of Muslims in America. Of Jewish descent, she has spoken from a unique position on the need to rebrand Islam and clarify the misguided assumptions regarding terrorism and the Muslim community. Because of Islam’s “identity crisis” in Western media, she has argued to consider Islamophobia from a “branding initiative” perspective, such as identifying target audiences and enabling the Muslim community to reach out to those who oppose Islam.4 She has called for a concerted effort on behalf of the Muslim community to engage with the broader public by using social media to disseminate strong, impactful messages, rather than merely “sending press releases.”5
Alona writes a syndicated blog and a weekly culture column for The Huffington Post. It details her list of the “Best and Worst Brands of the Week” and explores the ways in which branding shapes and inspires everyday life.6
[1] “Rebranding Islam,” South By Southwest 2011.
[2] “Alona Elkayam,” The Huffington Post.
[3] “Alona Elkayam,” 321 Worldwide.
[4] ibid.
[5] “Rebranding Islam,” South By Southwest 2011.
[6] ibid.
