Over 85 years ago, Mr. Joseph Jacobs was the advertising manager of the then thriving Jewish Daily Forward. His talents at getting advertisers to recognize the Jewish press as a viable advertising medium were soon recognized by a number of other Jewish publications as well. With success under his belt, he opened the Joseph Jacobs Advertising in 1919, with offices on the Lower Eastside selling advertising space for a variety of Jewish publications. He successfully created the first “full service agency” that marketed packaged goods and services to Jewish consumers.

As it quickly grew, JJA soon moved to a prestigious Madison Avenue address where it serviced such prestigious clients like Colgate-Palmolive Co., Maxwell House and Quaker Oats Co. In fact, JJA still publishes the Maxwell House Hagaddah, a promotion Mr. Jacobs created for the coffee maker generations ago.

In the spring of 2003, Elie Rosenfeld, head of account services and marketing sales, took over the helm when he bought Joseph Jacobs Advertising from owner Richard Jacobs, the founder’s son who successfully ran the agency for over 50 years.