The New Jew mourns the loss of the esteemed Dr. Gary Tobin (Z”L), may his memory be a blessing to all he touched.

Sourced from the Institute for Jewish and Community Research:

Founder and president of San Francisco-based Institute for Jewish & Community Research (IJCR), Dr. Gary Tobin passed away on July 6, 2009 at age 59.

Dr. Tobin was an innovative teacher, writer, researcher, and community builder who worked courageously and passionately to help the Jewish people grow and thrive.

In all his work, Dr. Tobin challenged the status quo of institutions for which he cared deeply yet always believed could be better.

Whether it was the Jewish federation system, American academia, or the State of Israel, Dr. Tobin was never afraid to challenge and provoke, always expecting better and more. He believed the greatest expressions of affection came not through blind praise but through thoughtful criticism and unlimited optimism for the things that meant the most to him.

At his last Passover Seder, Dr. Tobin reminded his family that the Jewish people entered the Promised Land without their leader Moses. Dr. Tobin worked tirelessly to coach his team of colleagues at IJCR. He wanted his work to live beyond him, not for the sake of his own legacy but for the sake of the greater good he always pursued. The Institute for Jewish & Community Research will continue to advance his visionary research.

For more information please visit GaryTobin.org.

“The Future of Israel lies in the Negev.”
~ David Ben-Gurion, first prime minister of Israel

If you aren’t intimately familiar with Israel, you may not realize that the country is divided into two cultural and geographical spheres: the Center and the Periphery.

The Center, composed of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and their environs, are densely populated hubs of activity. The Periphery: the Galilee, Golan Heights, and Negev Desert, are more agricultural areas outside of the Center’s reach. This segmentation is critical to understanding the Israeli mindset when it comes to how we perceive each other.

Today YNet News broke the story that Be’er Sheva is set to become home to Israel’s largest mall. With a projected budget of 700 million NIS (approx. $180.5 million) and a three-year timeframe, the mall aims to be not only a commercial center, but a nexus of social activity. Upon its completion, the mall will house clubs for youths, seniors, soldiers, and feature a children’s play area.

Additionally, the new center will be the first green mall in Israel with the following environmental considerations:

• Solar paneling on the roof for energy conversion
• Pools for collecting rain water and condensation from air conditioning to be reused for irrigation
• Green park to be built near mall with connecting bicycle paths around the mall’s periphery

—– Read more about the mall’s environmental impact and plans for Be’er Sheva’s development—–

Getting Real About the Environmental Impact

But let’s not kid ourselves. While I’m proud to read about any environmental initiative in Israel, particularly ones close to home that hold the dual promise of educating Israeli citizenry about the environment and utilizing Israel’s hi-tech prowess, there are some definite drawbacks to this plan when it comes to the environment.

Transportation– First of all, the 100,000 square meter mall will have 1,800 parking spaces. I hope that built into these plans are charge stations for electric cars, spaces for Zip Cars (a girl can dream), and a matrix of bus routes to locations around the city.

Rebranding the Desert City– Second, I am dubious about the designers’ efforts at “breaking the city’s desert-like appearance.” It is one thing to rebrand a city beyond a single perception for which it is known, but let’s get real: Be’er Sheva is a desert city and it always will be, no matter how green its facilities. This is not a bad thing nor should it be viewed as one.

Pollution Control– Third, it is critical that the traffic necessary to sustain a successful mega-enterprise, such as this one, does not create excess pollution. Exhaust from cars and buses, traffic jams on city streets, and noise pollution in residential areas are all potentianl consequences that require close monitoring.

As it is, YNet cites:

“Some 300,000 vehicles pass every day on the Toviyahu Boulevard route, where the mall will be built. 35% of the city’s population lives at a distance of 1.5 kilometers from the mall.”

Be’er Sheva’s Future

It is clear from reading about the mall that the designers have conceptualized their plans with a mind for a future Be’er Sheva, not the present one that exists today.

In the next five years, two key developments will be made in this Negev city:

• Completed construction of an Advanced Technology Park
• Development of the Ramat Hovav area, transferring Israel’s largest military base from Tel Aviv to the Negev region

That the mall’s construction is synchronized with these two factors implies an assumption that Be’er Sheva will:

• Draw commercial interest– Become a national population center that a major commercial enterprise requires
• Attract population– Create housing opportunities for scientists and IDF officers looking to house their families close to their places of employ
• Allow for more income flexibility– Create higher paying jobs for a residential population with an increased spending potential

Conclusion

If all goes as planned, 2012 will be a breakout year for Negev development. While this may leave us pink cheeked that our region is finally getting the recognition it deserves, we must keep critical environmental issues at the forefront.

While the Negev has long been thought of in purely geographical terms– it comprises 55% of Israel’s landmass– the new attention brought by the Advanced Technology Park, the military transfer of forces to Ramat Hovav, and the new green mall makes Be’er Sheva a force to be reckoned with.

Be’er Sheva must grasp the brain power already harnessed by the Negev’s top four employers: the IDF, Ben-Gurion University, Soroka Medical Center, and Teva Pharmeceuticals, and claim its rightful place among the nation’s leading scientists, thinkers, and innovators. A city center that is truly green in its construction and daily activities will serve as a reminder to all that Be’er Sheva and the Negev have much to offer to the citizens of this nation.

Links

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading:

• “Shifting Speeds: Israeli Government Invests in Cycling Programs for the Sake of the Environment”
• “Middle East Environmentalism: Blogging for the Environment” – learn more about Israeli environmental NGOs
• “Charles Bronfman Prize for Humanitarian Action: Seeking a Better World” – learn more about Prof. Alon Tal’s work in the Negev
  
• “Bronfman Big Ideas Series: Renewing the Jewish Pioneering Spirit by Volunteer Work in the Negev”
• “Jewish National Fund Hosts Alternative Spring Break” – learn more about the Negev, Center/Periphery dichotomies, as well as the JNF’s Blueprint Negev initiative
• “Israeli Philanthropy: Planned Galilee Medical School May Change the Way We Think About Giving to Israel” — of interest for the Center/Periphery perspective

Image Credit

With thanks to the following sources: mall plan (courtesy of Lahav Group), Zip Car, Israel map.

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I had the honor and privilege of attending this year’s ROI Summit in the New Media Track. It’s been hard for me to put into words the value and inspiration that I was gifted there, so instead of gushing about it, I’ll start by introducing you to four women I met who inspired me.

Manuela Zoninsein, a journalist in Beijing and current Presentense Fellow, seeks to connect Chinese farmers with Israeli agricultural technology. She is in the process of creating Sustain, a newsletter that will “track the evolution of agricultural technology and techniques worldwide”

Nicole Hyman’s goal is create a confluence between citizen media and mobile technology (namely cellphones). A South African strongly influenced by the Rwandan genocide, Nicole strives to provide Jewish bloggers with a way to use mobile media to promote and support Israel

.

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Susanne Goldstone Rosenhouse is the voice behind Jewish Tweets, Twitter’s most popular Jewish presence with over 3,800 followers. Susanne utilized her social media expertise to found ParnasaFest, a grassroots network helping Jews find meaningful employment within the Jewish community

Ziva Haller Rubenstein works for the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. Her goal is to help make the Jewish Agency’s website more accessible and user friendly across languages, countries, and cultures. Ziva also blogs at the Designist’s Dream (de-Sign-ist, get it?) about sustainable art and design in Israel

.

—– Read More About The New Jew’s New Directions —–

New Jew, New Directions

As for me, I joined ROI in order to find new directions for The New Jew. When I began my blog in August 2007, I was passionate about providing my readers with a broad view of Jewish philanthropy. I believed that Jewish giving was a lens for Jewish values and that by studying it, analyzing it, and promoting it, we would refine our thinking and engagement in the Jewish world.

Having taken a mandatory break from blogging because of pregnancy and new motherhood, I found that the need for a blog about Jewish philanthropy had been filled by one of my esteemed colleagues.

At the conclusion of The New Jew’s second year, I am seeking to rework its mandate to achieve the fullest utility, impact, and competitive advantage. Using the foundation of Jewish philanthropy, I plan to expand to cover social innovation in the Jewish world. I hope you will join me as travelers, friends, and innovators on my Jewish journey.

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In my few moments of spare time a day, I’ve been experimenting with the effect of Twitter’s microblogging. What have I learned? The primary thing that you need to know is that the world of Twitter is wide open to new participants, whether individuals or foundations. It’s a great way to catch the eyes and ears of people who matter and to drive traffic to your blog.

In the last few days I came across a number of stories that I had to share with you– they are that exciting.

1. “10 Twitter Tips for Nonprofits” by Heather Mansfield of Change.org (@changedotorg). The only point I disagree with is Mansfield’s advice that you should provide value to your followers instead of ‘chit-chatting.’ As with any social media platform, I believe it is key to imbue your tweets with a sense of  personality so that you readers feel a personal connection and investment with you as an individual. This is also why I advocate that foundation accounts are headed by a single person whose name is cited. People want to talk to people.
2. “Nonprofit Groups Outpace Businesses in Adopting Social Networking Tools” by Peter Panepento of The Chronicle of Philanthropy (@philanthropy). Among the findings of the UMass-Dartmouth study are that 89% of nonprofits are using some form of social media and that 57% have blogs. These numbers, which may strike some as surprisingly high, are a logical result of the low barriers to entry of social media in this cut to the bone economy.
3. 

   Jared Cohen

   “State Department Atwitter Over Young, Jewish Tech Tutor” by Allison Gaudet Yarrow of The Forward (@jdforward). The best part of this article is the Stephen Colbert interview with our subject, Jared Cohen, who points out that 60% of the Middle East’s population is under 30, and that they are the most accessible, impressionable, and those with whom we have the greatest opportunity to connect. Interestingly, Cohen’s own Twitter page is fairly average (@Jared_Cohen). I guess when you are the youngest member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Team, self promotion isn’t the first thing on your mind.

   — Keep Reading for Highlights on Young Jews Connecting Through Twitter and Israeli Billionaires, As Well as Quick Hits & Hot Links —
   

4. “Tweets– With Substance: Young Jews Look to Twitter Website to Rediscover Jewish Identity” by Adam Kredo of the Washington Jewish Week. The article examines Twitter’s role in connecting young Jews who feel disenfranchised from formal Jewish communities. The article quotes Lisa Kaneff, who says, “It’s not just a social avenue, it’s a religious and educational avenue, one that I’ve never been exposed to.” Using Twitter, Kaneff enhanced both her on- and offline connections with the Jewish community, providing her with a richer experience overall. As always with social media, Twitter should be used as a tool for building relationships with the ultimate goal of increasing people’s personal investment in each other.
5. “Morphed: Cheryl Saban’s Journey from Beach Bunny to Philanthropist”
   

   Cheryl & Haim Saban

   by Allison Hoffman of Tablet Magazine, formerly Nextbook.org (@tabletmag). Cheryl Saban (@csaban) hasn’t always been the wife of one of Israel’s most prominent billionaires. In previous days, she has been a model, single mother, secretary, children’s store owner, and the bestselling author of a thriller based on her own experience as a survivor of rape. Tablet features this personal look at Saban’s transformation, including her most recent efforts: the establishment of The Women’s Self-Worth Foundation, which will provide women with micro-finance grants in Israel and the US.

Quick Hits

Twitter accounts mentioned in this article:

• Mine: @mayanorton
• Change.org: @changedotorg
• Chronicle of Philanthropy: @philanthropy
• Jewish Daily Forward: @jdforward
• Jared Cohen: @jared_cohen
• Tablet Magazine: @tabletmag
• Cheryl Saban: @csaban

Links of Interest

• “JTA’s 100 Most Influential Jewish Twitterers.” I’m number 28!
• Jared Cohen made history this week with a  request from the US State Department to Twitter asking that they delay scheduled maintenance  in order to give enable the voices of Iran’s revolutionaries. The New York Times reports: “Washington Taps Into Potent New Force in Diplomacy”
• Profiles of Jared Cohen by The New Yorker: “Precocious: Condi’s Party Stealer” and Gen-Next.org (photo above is sourced from Gen-Next’s website)
• Cheryl Saban’s biography from her website entitled “What is Your Self-Worth: A Woman’s Guide to Validation.” Note that Saban has a doctorate in psychology and is the author of 8 books
• Profile of Haim and Cheryl Saban from Business Week’s article “The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists” (2007). (Photo above is sourced from Business Week’s website)
• Good reference: “Resources to Help Your Nonprofit Group Navigate Online Social Media” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy

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Remembering the Fallen

On Tuesday,  April 28th, the United Jewish Communities website will be darkened for 24 hours in honor of Israel’s Day of Remembrance (Yom HaZikaron).

The UJC writes:

“Just as every Israeli has been touched by war or terrorism, Yom HaZikaron joins every Israeli and our worldwide Jewish community in a powerful moment of unity and peoplehood.  We are one people, with one destiny.”

Here is a video showing what it is like to be in Israel while the sirens of remembrance sound. The UJC’s commemorative video for Yom HaZikaron can be viewed here.

—– Read More About Defending the Nation of Israel ——

Israel and the Jewish World

I am currently traveling in the US with my son, visiting family. Yesterday afternoon, my husband called over video and we stood as a family while the sirens sounded the call of remembrance in Israel.

Recent events have led me to think deeply about the role of Israel in the world. Despite much controversy about the difference between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism, I strongly urge all Jews to reaffirm their commitment to a strong Israel as the one and only home for Jews in the world.

While it is our duty to assess our actions as a nation in a way that is constructive and brings change, I find that in the world today, the lines between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism are conveniently blurred, allowing for many to cloak their thoughts about the Jews (whether conscious or subconscious) in harsh statements about Israel.

Do not be gentle or ashamed in your defense of the Nation. In striving for a strong and ethical Israel, we seek a better world.

Title photo sourced from here.
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Israel has a new program for Americans and native English speakers: the Israel Teachers Corps.

Modeled on Teach For America, the Israel Teachers Corps seeks to train Americans and new English speaking immigrants to teach in Israel’s disadvantaged schools for one year. Perks include Hebrew language instruction and housing assistance. The criteria are:

“A minimum of one semester of informal or formal educational experience, commitment to service, the Jewish community, and a desire to take on new challenges.”

I don’t like to criticize Israeli or Jewish initiatives intending to do good, but I can’t keep mum on this one. As you know from reading The New Jew, I was an 8th grade teacher for Teach For America in a severely disadvantaged school in Phoenix, Arizona. It was not a positive experience.

Although Teach For America (TFA) has seen significant success, it has many notable weaknesses as well. Based on this description of criteria, the Israel Teachers Corps seems vulnerable to these same problems.

Potential Problems

TFA’s strongest critics, many of whom are teachers themselves, say that putting people who have virtually no teaching background in front of a classroom is asking for trouble. When you add in factors that exist in TFA schools, such as students’ disadvantaged backgrounds and in the case of the Israel Teaching Corps, conflicts of language and culture, the challenges multiply.

The Israeli classroom is known as the Wild West of teaching. Like its street culture, Israel can seem a rough and foreign place to the uninitiated. Aside from being a new mother, I can’t think of any more difficult job than being a new teacher. It is incredibly stressful and emotionally taxing. The double effect of being a new teacher and a new immigrant to Israel seem an almost insurmountable task.

You learn by doing and no short training program, no matter how good, can get you ready for the harsh realities of the classroom. When you get down to it, the first year is about learning what to do and, perhaps more importantly, what not to. You then harness that knowledge and experience and use it to advance into smoother successive years.

When you commit to teaching only one year,  the meaningful relationships that can and must be formed with other teachers and students over time are jeopardized. They know that you are not fully invested in the school and the educational system and are therefore less likely to invest in you. In a situation where the most successful new teachers learn from strong mentoring networks, the importance of relationships should not be understated.

Positives

I do not want to imply that there are no positives to the program, but lacking a link or a program website, I can only comment on the information available, which as been presented herein.

I hope that along with using TFA’s model, the Israel Teaching Corps will learn from TFA’s  lessons as well.

Notes

• Background– Very little information is available online in English about Israeli public schools. I would have liked to bring you more facts and figures for background and context
• Links– There is no online link as of yet for the Israel Teachers Corps. The only online reference I could find online to the Israel Teachers Corps is here
• Recommendation– Pet peeve: I consider it a bad practice when an organization promotes its programming by linking to its website without having further information available once you click through. If you are promoting a program, get your PR established before you begin. 

* Title photo credited to F_a_r_e_w_e_l_l.

Learn More

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:

• “Supporting Israeli Education: 100,000 Demonstrate for Teachers’ Rights”
• “Shekels for School: the Business of Education in Israel”
• “Get Thee to the Holy Land: A Guide to Volunteering in Israel”
• “Master Israel with the Jewish Agency’s University Tour”
• “Jewish Princess Desert Odyssey: Raising Money for Children in Need Across Israel”
• “Money for Manners: Prize Offered for Ideas on How to Civilize Israelis”

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Blessing the Sun over Tel Aviv (Sandy Teperson)

On the eve of Passover 5769, Jews around the world celebrated the Blessing of the Sun (Birkhat HaChama).

Here are some photographs from around the world of the festivities. I’ve chosen and arranged them intending to give you a feeling of the celebrations as they were happening. You will get the most value out of these images by viewing each set as a unit rather than scrolling through to see all the photos together. Enjoy!

Location: Brooklyn Bridge

Photographer: Sam Feinstein-Feit (Shir Yaakov)

Location: Woodmere, NY (Congregation Beth Emeth)

Photographer: Charlie Roemer

Location: Miami

Photographer: James Kirkpatrick (photos for sale here)

—– Click on the link to see a wealth of photos from Atlanta, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and B’nei Brak —–

Location: Atlanta, GA

Photographer: Dave Bender of Israel At Level Ground

Location: Gan Sacher, Jerusalem

Photographer: Jewlicious

Location: Roof of the Azrieli Towers, Tel Aviv

Photographer: Sandy Teperson

Location: B’Nei Brak

Photographer: Dan Bar Dov

A big thank you to all the photographers who allowed me to share their photographs with you.

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Blessing the Sun by Exothermic

As we open our eyes to greet the new day tomorrow, we bless the sun with the words:

“ברוך אתה ה’ אלקינו מלך העולם עושה מעשה בראשית”

“Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the Universe who makes the works of Creation.“

“Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam Oseh Ma’aseh Breishit.”

Birkhat HaChama

The blessing on the sun (birkhat hachama) is said at the beginning of the 28 year Jewish solar cycle, celebrated next on April 8, 2009/14 Nisan, 5769, when Jews believe that the sun returns to its exact place at the time of its creation. We commemorate it tomorrow for the 206th time.

The Sun Blessing is shared with other natural phenomena, such as lightning, comets, meteors, and upon seeing “wondrous natural topography, such as great mountains, rivers, and vast wilderness.”

For more information, please see Bless the Sun.

Sun Salutation

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KIPP New Orleans: Principal & Students

The 2009 Charles Bronfman Prize shines its light on the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), a national network of free, college preparatory charter schools designed to give kids from disadvantaged backgrounds the best possible education.

As a former public school teacher, I hold KIPP in the highest regard. Founders Michael Feinberg and David Levin are accomplishing what everyone else hopes to achieve. They are the go-to address for social innovation in inner city public education.

Proof from the statistics:

• 100% of KIPP 8th graders outperformed district and state averages on math, reading, and language arts tests
• 80% of KIPP students matriculate to college (average for low income students is 20%)

Replicating the Model

So how do they do it? What’s the KIPP model and how can other schools replicate it?

The good news is that KIPP is specifically designed to be a replicable. As former Teach For America teachers, Feinberg and Levin sought to design a system of schools specifically for urban, underserved populations that would output highly educated students destined for college.

—– Read more to find out the components of a KIPP education and its Israel connection —–

A major part of the KIPP model is buy-in from all parties involved. Parents, students, and teachers are all held to the same strict standards, which are regularly measured and marked to ensure performance success. KIPP believes in 6 day a week schooling and a longer school day. Students are in school from 7:30 to 5:00, as well as attending every other Saturday and for five weeks over the summer.

Schooling is based on five pillars:

• High Expectations: defined and measurable academic goals in a community-based culture of achievement
• Choice and Commitment: all students opt-in to the KIPP charter school system. Before each academic year,  parents, students and teachers sign a “Commitment to Excellence”
• More Time: more classroom time to recuperate from existing gaps and strive toward higher learning
• Power to Lead: the KIPP schooling network actively seeks great teachers and school leaders and activates funding to bring them to their classrooms
• Focus on Results: in their own words, “Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed at the nation’s best high schools and colleges.”

The Bronfman Prize’s Choice of KIPP: Why It Matters

Why is it important that the Bronfman Prize is honoring this program?

KIPP serves the underserved. They seek to directly improve the lives of those in communities that have chosen to participate. KIPP honors the Jewish value of tikkun olam by seeking to right a wrong– the broken system of urban education in America. KIPP’s success provides a model for others. –> When you get a chance to look at their website, check out the teacher and school leadership programs, which I consider to be one of the most powerful elements of the KIPP system.

The Bronfman Prize seeks to recognize those whose “Jewish values infuse their humanitarian accomplishments,” seeking those who have significantly contributed to the betterment of the world through science, technology, art, culture, education, and global citizenship. Feinberg and Levin epitomize these values.

Learn more here: “Charles Bronfman Prize for Humanitarian Action: Seeking a Better World.”

Israel Connections

Charles Bronfman

Feinberg and Levin will partner with the LeoBaeck Education Institute in Haifa to create a school designed on the KIPP model for Arab and Jewish students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the north of Israel.

This effort will connect existing ties for both Charles Bronfman and Michael Feinberg. Bronfman and his wife Andrea (Z”L) founded the Karev Foundation in Jerusalem, which in turn partnered with the Israeli Ministry of Education to create the Karev Program. Like KIPP, the Karev Program is an education enrichment model featuring extended school days and a wider curriculum of arts, sports, and sciences to enhance students’ educational experience.

For his part, Feinberg’s devotion to making a difference in the lives of children was first inspired in 1991 when he came to Israel to work with Ethiopian Jewish immigrants, recently arrived on Operation Solomon’s emergency airlifts. He says:  “The experience convinced me of the power of teaching to make a difference.”

There is no doubt that the coalition of Charles Bronfman’s Karev program and Michael Feinberg and David Levin’s KIPP model will raise the standard of education for the children of Israel wherever it is applied.

* Title photo sourced from KIPP’s Winter 2009 newsletter.

Learn More

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:

• “A Personal Manifesto: My Path to Jewish Communal Service” (2007)– I am also an alumna of Teach For America.
  

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Remember my post on How We Market Ourselves in Times of Crisis? You’re about to get an up front and personal look at one Jewish organization’s back pedaling after a major political gaffe.

On Friday, the Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) sent out an e-mail to its constituents asking for $50 donations to support its service. No problem, right? We all get plenty of those these days. But this one was different. In an apparent need to separate themselves from others sources of news delivery, JTA President Elisa Spungen Bildner wrote:

“JTA tells the story, so that our community stays informed. At this moment, JTA’s ability to tell these stories is threatened by the realities of the economic downturn. And, in the chaos of the information age in which we live, it is even harder to find the trusted voices on which we rely for independence and accuracy.

Without a strong JTA, the storytelling will be left to bloggers, twitterers, and non-professionals.  Is this the best way for our future Jewish stories to be told and recorded?“

The emphasis is their own.

The Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man– Or, Bloggers, Twitterers, and Non-Professionals

Come again? Bloggers, Twitterers, and non-professionals? First of all, to equate Twitterers and bloggers is an insult. Without belaboring what should be an obvious point, users of Twitter communicate in 140 character missives, while blogs are intended to be well-researched, interesting conduits for conveying information and opinions. This is especially true in the Israeli and Jewish blogospheres, where the quality is particularly high.

And non-professionals? If we are defining a professional as someone who works for money, then yes, the JBlogosphere is filled with non-professionals, but this doesn’t make them any less committed. I see plenty of my blogging colleagues churning out up-to-the-minute content of the highest caliber on a daily basis.

—– Read More About Jews, Blogging, and the JTA’s Social Media Connections —–

How Can a Mistake This Big Be Explained?

What’s behind this message that was likely sent to tens of thousands of recipients? It could be the ongoing stories about journalistic publications in crisis, like the Boston Globe’s threatened collapse, or it could be a Rupert Murdoch’s recent advice that online newspapers will need to charge readers or sink into the economic black hole. Or maybe, they’ve been reading the Forward’s Liel Leibovitz, who’s been wrote “Communication Breakdown: Dispatches from the Virtual World.” With regard to blogging and micro-blogging, Leibovitz writes:

“Examining this thinning of language — these starved forms of communications that favor the quick and the inconsequential while remaining unsuited for thoughts that may take space to unfold and time to read — it is easy to succumb to a technologically deterministic depression and declare the end of intelligent civilization near.

But since Jews have been forever defined — even constituted — by our relationship with the book and, as a result, with the written word at large, we must pay special attention to these winds of change. Without being unduly alarmist, one can say that the Internet may be killing off the Jewish mind.”

Are Blogging & Micro-Blogging Responsible for a “Communication Breakdown”?

Liel Liebovitz

I tend to hate doomsday predictions like this one (”the Internet may be killing off the Jewish mind”), but a statement of such ignorance particularly raises my hackles at a time like this.

When I began blogging in August 2007, one of my goals was to bring together the global community of Jewish voices. At the time of The New Jew’s creation, there was a void of Jewish content on the internet. Jewish organizations were meeting their programming goals on the ground, but little existed for those not formally aligned with community organizations.

Now, a mere year and a half later, the virtual Jewish world is a ripe expanse of community building where Jews can share ideas and converse with each other on equal footing. Leibovitz’s assertion that blogging is a “starved form of communication that favors the quick and inconsequential” couldn’t be more off-base. Furthermore, it’s a particularly odd critique for a professional writer specializing in Jewish culture to make.

Lisa Colton, founder and president of Darim Online, gets it right when she responds to Leibovitz, saying:

“Throughout Jewish history, we have devised creative and innovative means to communicate with one another, to preserve our religion, heritage and identity, and to evolve new strategies to keep it alive, relevant and vibrant.We lit fires on mountaintops to transmit the declaration of a new month, and went so far as to write down an oral tradition in order to keep ourselves connected over time and distance.

Microblogging is hardly radical. While many use it frivolously, many are using it in valuable ways, far beyond “speculation and whim”. This is an opportunity to spread knowledge and insight, and to foster deeper connection.”

Dan Sieradski

JTA’s Social Media Connection

Perhaps the most confusing part of the JTA’s message is that in the last year, and most particularly since Dan Sieradski became the Director of Digital Media, the site and its delivery method have undergone a huge change.

If you haven’t visited the JTA recently, take a look. What do you see? The content is newly streamlined and promoted most heavily are, yes, the blogs: the Telegraph, the Fundermentalist, and Capital J, as well the JBlogs, in which bloggers can add their own content to the JTA’s site.

Moreover, Jacob Berkman’s Fundermentalist blog focusing on Jewish giving is by Sieradski’s word, the #1 destination on the JTA site.

Conclusions

What’s the story here? Are the JTA’s own blogs showing them how truly powerful a medium blogging can be? Are they being hit so hard by the economy that they have to separate themselves from their closest competitors, self-identified as the blogs? Whatever it is, the message of the site, heavy with a new media blog-based design, and its blogging and twittering staff, do not align with the negative heavy handedness of its organizational message. Be on the look-out for some back pedaling in the near future.

Learn More

To learn more about what others in the blogosphere are saying about this, follow these links:

• “I’m Sure It’s Only a Coincidence, But…” and “The Power of Blogs (Bloggers)“ by eJewishPhilanthropy– hat tip for the Rupert Murdoch link
• “Jewish Bloggers are Not the Enemy of Jewish Storytelling” by Esther Kustanowitz at  MyUrbanKvetch
• “How to Make Bloggers Hate You Just by Hitting Send” by Leah Jones
• “Liel Leibovitz Wrong in Critique of the Twitter Revolution” by Rabbi Shai Gluskin at Every Day and Every Night
• English Language Blogs from Israel (blog aggregator by Hanan Cohen)
  

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