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artists who may be selling nonexistent
items and investigating suspicious
or offensive postings that have been
flagged for removal by a majority of
users.
As the site has grown, so too has
Newmark's public profile. And the
modest persona he projects belies a
passionate political activist whose
causes include One Voice, a grassroots
movement that works with moderate
Israelis and Palestinians to craft public
consensus on the matters at the heart
of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"People on the ground want a
reasonable deal," says Newmark, who
was a "good Hebrew-school student"
growing up in Morristown, NJ., but
who today is not observant and has
yet to visit Israel. He believes a "cre-
ative solution" to the dismantling of
the West Bank settlements is needed
and suggests that Israelis "be allowed
to stay and work things out with the
Palestinians."
In Detroit, meanwhile, the site he
founded has become the latest trend in
"Jewish bargain shopping," says Susie
Abrams, a Spanish teacher who lives
in West Bloomfield with her husband,
Brian, and daughters Emily and Allie.
She has used the site to look for dou-
ble strollers, even a nanny.
She likens craigslist to "being at
TJ Maxx. You have to like picking
through the racks as much as you like
the purchase itself. There is a lot to
weed through to get to the treasure."
Abrams, who plans to sell toys on
the site when her children outgrow
them, says she likes the idea that the
items "might be valuable to someone
else.
Reva Nelson, a former Detroiter
who now lives in Chicago, agrees.
"Craigslist is a way for items to get a
second life. There might be something
in your house that's driving you crazy,
but there's someone out there looking
for it."
Within minutes of posting an air
conditioner that she was willing to
give away for free, for example, Nelson
had two people at her door ready to
"haul it away." And when selling her
car, she added, "I got more interest
from craigslist than I did from the
Chicago Tribune."
Nelson has discovered coveted

items for herself, as well, including a
$1,500 designer dishwasher that she
purchased for $50. "That was a major
find," says Nelson, who admits she
loves the "hunt" for the perfect item
almost as much as the item itself.
Others have used the site to look
for apartments and last-minute con-
cert tickets. Andrew Wolf, a pediatric
ophthalmologist at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, found craig-
slist to be a valuable resource when
looking for a home. "Since Ann Arbor
is a college town," he explains, "most
leases through the usual real-estate
brokers were September through
May. Craigslist had a lot of alterna-
tive options, like the lease beginning
in July that I was looking for." He also
found tickets to a U-M football game
on the site, and met the seller in a
supermarket parking lot to make the
transaction, noting that since the site
is categorized by location, it makes it
easy to buy and sell goods without the
hassle of shipping costs or online pay-
ments.
While most users describe positive
experiences with the site, almost all
protect their privacy by initially post-
ing their notices anonymously and
only giving out e-mail or phone infor-
mation when they feel the other party
is legitimate.
Jessica Klein, who recently moved
to Novi from Chicago with her hus-
band, Dan, only gives out her personal
e-mail address after someone responds
appropriately to an ad she has placed
anonymously. For example, If I'm
selling shoes and a woman asks details
like the size, I feel comfortable that
she is serious and legitimate." She
once had a few exchanges with a man
who "seemed to have a shoe fetish and
just wanted to look at some shoes I
had for sale," she recalls. Other than
that, she has successfidly sold several
items on craigslist and even found her
gai-dener through the site.
She did not succeed in selling her
Chicago condo, however, "probably
because people on craigslist are looking
for a bargain, and it was an expensive
property," she explains. "But getting
something for the best price isn't just a
Jewish idea," she says. "I think craigs-
list helps fulfill the philosophy that
frugality has universal appeal." ■

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