Reason #25 to Keep Your Headshot Current: You Never Know When You'll Go Viral

So, this just happened. A headshot of Elsie Foster, mayor of Highland Park, New Jersey, has been making the rounds since yesterday. It has appeared all over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (I mean, X), LinkedIn as well as in several Jewish-oriented web sites and newspapers. 

Elsie Foster, mayor of Highland Park, NJ. Photo © Mason Resnick

It's a photo I took of her last November after she won the election as Mayor. It is her official portrait.

But why was this photo of the mayor of a small town in central New Jersey shared globally?

On Saturday morning, June 8, news broke that in a dramatic shootout in a densly populated part of Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces rescued four of the hostages that had been held there sincethey had been captured in the pogrom Hamas committed in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. 

A large segment of Highland Park's Jewish community is Sabbath observant--we don't listen to radios, use our smart phones or computers from Sundown Friday until Saturday night. The Mayor realized most of the community was at prayer services in the local synagogues and that it was unlikely anyone was aware of the dramatic rescue that had just taken pace.

So, she printed out the news and sent it to each Rabbi of all seven synagogues in town. The Rabbis were then able to break the news to their congregations. I can tell you that in my synagogue, the moment was dramatic and emotional.

Some community members acknowledged the mayor's efforts online, and the story quickly spread around the globe. 

In short, my photo of the Mayor went viral.

So when people ask me why it's important to have a recent headshot available for use in their social media profiles, web sites, and business cards, I can now add to my list: You never know when you might go viral.