Q & A about our Online Jewish Community

October 29, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · 2 Comments 

Periodically students from various places in the world decide to write a paper about OurJewishCommunity.org as an example of the successful intersection of religion and technology.  I answered a series of questions for a student over email today and it occurred to me that some of the questions might be interesting to you as well.  For the record, I could have written pages in response to each question, but I restrained myself!

I am wondering if you can tell me a bit about your online Jewish community- how did you begin this?
We began in September of 2008.  Congregation Beth Adam, a bricks-and-mortar congregation in Cincinnati, had gone through a strategic visioning process and arrived at this vision:  Congregation Beth Adam is a spiritual home, a meaningful voice, and a humanistic resource for people worldwide, seeking a contemporary Jewish identity and experience.

Of course, the best way to have worldwide reach is to use technology.  And because we value a contemporary Jewish identity and experience, we want to meet the changing needs of the Jewish community.  So, we decided to launch an online congregation – OurJewishCommunity.org.

We began with the high holidays in 2008 by videostreaming our services.  We had already had iTunes podcasts since 2006.  We started adding YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, weekly videostreamed services as time progressed.  We wanted it not to be top-down but rather to be built from user participation. 

What role is technology playing in Judaism today? 

That’s a really broad question.  Obviously, some Jewish movements embrace technology more than others.
I can speak about our own experience.  We value a contemporary approach, so technology plays a major role.  We realized that technology was a way for us to bring Judaism to people wherever they are.
It allows people to participate despite barriers they may otherwise face.  For example, people who cannot afford synagogue membership, people who are geographically isolated, people who are physically limited, people who prefer the anonymity of the screen, people who already participate in other communities online – all of these people and others may find that technology can give them a Jewish experience that they might not otherwise have.

Is technology a positive force for the community?  What do you believe the value is in streaming services and connecting through technology? 

Of course!  Technology may not be for everyone, and that’s fine.  But we also know that more than 50% of American Jews are unaffiliated and we want to reach those who were not being reached by traditional methods.  Our use of technology has allowed many people who otherwise didn’t have a Jewish connection to find one. 

What are the problems with this method?

I don’t think there are problems with it.  Some may prefer face-to-face interaction and some may prefer online interaction.  Neither is a problem – it’s just that different people will have different preferences.
I guess the only problem is when the power goes out or there’s a technical glitch ;)

I watched the video on your blog, and you made mention of some of the products that help you and others connect- and I am wondering if you could elaborate on how this method of practicing lends itself to a more personalized or more community oriented way of practicing one’s faith.

I don’t want to say it’s more or less community-oriented in general, because I don’t think it’s more or less – it’s just different.  For some people, they want to be sitting in a room with others.  Others find the use of technology lends itself to an atmosphere that is more convenient, more welcoming, more accessible.  Many people who show up for our services online are regular attenders and have conversations through Facebook with others they’ve met through our online community.  When someone new checks in to watch our services, it’s usually very quickly that someone who has been part of our community for a long time welcomes them.  It’s also fun because it’s a very diverse community – all of a sudden you have people from 150 countries participating in services together!

It’s also important to say it’s not “either-or.”  For example, many people watch our services on their computers or TVs while sitting in their living room with a dozen family or friends.  Others watch our services on their computers while on the phone with a family member in another city who is also watching our services.

What do you think the trends will be within technology, as Facebook and Twitter continue to grow, and how will members of your online Synagogue respond?  How will you respond?

For us, it’s not about the particular technology.  Technology is just a tool that allows us to do what we want to do – bring a contemporary Jewish voice to people wherever they are.  Facebook and Twitter will change – and there will be new technologies we cannot even imagine yet.  We’ll need to keep evolving as technologies allow for new opportunities, and I’m sure our participants will be excited by new technology that allows for an even more enhanced participatory experience.

Blog readers: Of course, feel free to add your questions in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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Jewish Women at the Back of the Bus

October 28, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · 1 Comment 

It seems history does indeed repeat itself at times.  I thought we lived in a world where segregated buses were history.  I thought Rosa Parks cleared up the fact that the front of the bus isn’t reserved for only certain people.

According to the New York Times,  there’s a public bus route in Brooklyn in which women must sit in the back of the bus.  Recently, a female rider was told by other riders that she had to leave the front.  According to the Times, guidelines posted in the front and the back say that “when boarding a crowded bus with standing passengers in the front, women should board the back door after paying the driver in the front” and that “when the bus is crowded, passengers should stand in their designated areas.”

So, this bus caters to the Hasdic community – a community in which women are considered 2nd class citizens.  And I’m appalled.  One man on the bus with his young daughter said “When she’s big, she will sit in the back.”  So much for raising daughters to be full participants in society.

Fortunately, Mayor Bloomberg handled this well saying: “Private people: you can have a private bus. Go rent a bus, and do what you want on it.”

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: inequality in the name of religion is still inequality.

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Kansas City Festival of Faiths

October 27, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

I just returned from a two day trip to Kansas City where I was invited to speak at the Festival of Faiths on the topic of “The Future of Faith: Religion in a Google World.”  Joining me on the panel were Aziza Hasan (Southern California Government Relations Director) and Dr. Robert Martin (Professor of Church Leadership and Practical Theology at St. Paul School of Theology).  Bill Tammeus, a religion writer and journalist, was our moderator.

First a word on the festival: The Kansas City Festival of Faiths, now in its 5th year,  is a community collaboration creating energy and understanding through interfaith relationship building and dialogue.  It’s really profound to see the commitment to interfaith conversations in this community.

Now a few words on the topic: Obviously this is a topic I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about.  I won’t rehash the whole panel discussion but I’ll say this about the questions that were asked from the audience.  In general, I got the sense that many people present saw online interaction and in-person interaction as mutually exclusive and total opposites.  I argue that it’s not binary.

The following morning we spoke to a group of High School students (at Notre Dame Sion High School with visitors from several other schools).  The audience was certainly much younger than the previous night and I found them particularly energizing.  For most of these students, technology is just a natural part of their day-to-day lives.  That said, I did point out that I am skeptical to make too many stereotypes about generations.  Some older adults are incredibly tech-savvy and some younger folks aren’t as interested in technology.

Two questions that the students brought up hadn’t come up the night before.  One of those questions was about what we thought the next big technology would be that would change religion in the next 5-10 years.  The other two panelists made educated guesses about specific technical innovations that would be very exciting.  But, I answered that what I found most exciting is that we have no idea today what new technology will be here in the next decade.  We’re not about using technology for its own sake – so the question for us is how will new technology help us accomplish our vision and live our values?  It’s exciting to live in a world where we don’t know what new tools will be developed tomorrow.

The other question was about interfaith issues.  One of the students asked how we can help people challenge their assumptions about other religions.  I responded that I want to also encourage people to challenge their assumptions about their own religion.  I think that’s a vital first step.

A few photos (one with my finger in it, sorry!) from the High School presentation.  Thanks Kansas City for such a warm welcome!

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