JUDAISM, JEWISH COMMUNITIES AND THE INTERNET: THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE INFORMATION AGE Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 9:45 am
Presenter: Dr. Andrea Lieber, Ph.D, Sophia Ava Asbell Chair of Judaic Studies, Professor of Religion, Dickinson College
Thanks to the technologies that gave rise to the World Wide Web, GPS and Facebook, Jewish communities are more connected than ever before–to each other, and to the broader world. How has access to all this technology challenged some aspects of Jewish life, and at the same time opened doors to new opportunities for the Jewish community? We will explore traditional Judaism’s strategies to limit access to web-based media, alongside some applications like blogging that have extended traditional voices into the public sphere in new ways. What are the politics of a “cyber-minyan,” and who benefits from participating in services that are streamed online? How can tools like GPS and online archives be used to document, preserve and provide access to vital information about small Jewish communities into the future? We will discuss the specific example of Pennsylvania communities that have digitized their cemeteries in ways that will facilitate genealogical research for generations to come. These topics and more will be the starting point for lively and interactive conversation!
The program will be preceded by brunch. Reservations are required. Please make reservations by January 2, 2017 by contacting the synagogue office at 581-7891 or send an email to office@tbelancaster.org.