AGF Final Paper_Goldman

8/12/2019 AGF Final Paper_Goldman

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The emergence of modern technology has had a profound impact on the way

individuals view the world around them and on an individuals beliefs. Technology allows

for the connection of people across the world, the easy access of information, and makes

tasks easier and more efficient. Robert Bellah, a sociologist of religion would say that both

religion and technology ultimately serve the same purpose in helping an individual develop

and fulfill their Self. Religious communities have had to interact with technology in one way

or another, whether attempting to ignore or downplay its presence, to taking full advantage

of the opportunities technology offers in helping their religious community grow. In this

paper, I will analyze how the Jewish community utilizes technology to create a large online

community that connects Jews across the world, and how this exemplifies Bellahs

understanding that religion is adjusting itself to cater to expressive individualism.

Jews are spread throughout the entire world. Most Jews in the United States live in

big cities like New York City, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, have access to synagogues,

Jewish day schools and education, and Jewish Community Centers. They are able to interact

with other Jews, from friendships, and develop a strong social support network.They are

less likely to feel singled out or misunderstood. But what about those that are Jews living in

North Dakota or Texas where there are few temples or kosher food options and practicing

their religion is difficult to impossible? That is where technology comes in. An extremely

useful app for a Jew who might be isolated from temples is called Synagogues which helps

the individual find a local synagogue by using their current location from over 5,000

temples. This is also useful if one is travelling during a holiday and wants to celebrate with

other people. The app also allows for one to specify the denomination they are looking for

whether that be a reform congregation or an egalitarian congregation. The app also gives


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statistics on the size of the shul, website listed, and reputation of the rabbi--basically like a

YELP for synagogues but without the rating system.

Another useful app for the Jew who is looking to find a community is called MMinyan

which provides a global database of Jewish institutions, including shuls, minyan locations

and schedules, kosher restaurants and mikvehs as well as Zemanim and Siddur. This is an

even more expansive app including 10,000 synagogues worldwide, and especially allows

one to find a minyan (4,000 location organizing a week)! It is only one click away to daven,

if you are at the airport waiting for your flight, and it is time for a tefilah, create a minyan

on the fly and invite nearby people to participate. Best of all this app is completely free!

This app truly allows one to practice their religion, whenever and wherever they want.

Both of these apps emphasize the importance of prayer with other people, and the purpose

of technology facilitate prayer even when one is on the go, or in an unfamiliar location, they

are still able to practice their Judaism through meeting others.


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Especially in America, which is based on the Christian calendar, it can be hard to

remember and celebrate the Jewish holidays. There are apps that determine when

sundown for Shabbat begins every week, and other apps that keep track of the Jewish

holidays for the individual. The app Jewish Days lists all the holidays and explains each

holiday meaning and includes all of the Jewish and Israeli holidays until 2018 so the

individual can preplan, and has the candle light times and end of Shabbat times based on

location, it also has a countdown feature for how many days left before each holiday.

Additionally it links with wikipedia for more information. This allows for a Jew in America

to celebrate the holidays and also reminds them of the significance behind each holiday,

that Jews around the world are celebrating this holiday at the same time on the same day,

and reminds them of its traditions and why it has been celebrated for thousands of years.


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A substantial amount of Jews in America identify with religion on more of a cultural level

instead of on a religious level. A big part of the Jewish culture is food, and cooking, eating,

and sharing food is highly emphasized. Each holiday has its own special foods that

accompany it, and The Manischewitz Recipe & Holiday Guide not only has recipes for

each of the holidays like Passover or Rosh Hashanah, but also has a daily cookbook for

Kosher cooking. The app makes the recipes look really delicious and seems like it is

designed to help those that are first timers when it comes to preparing food for the

holidays or beginning to cook Kosher food. The app doesn't just include recipes for the

Jewish holidays, but American holidays like Thanksgiving, when it can be hard to eat

Kosher style.


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There are also apps for food, for the Jew on the go, to know if a particular item is Kosher or

not without accidentally breaking a dietary law.


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All of these apps serve the same purpose, allowing a Jewish person in America to

keep up with the Jewish lifestyle through finding a synagogue, finding a group to pray with,

keeping track of the Jewish holidays, sharing meals with others, and adhering to the dietary

laws. Thus the Jewish community is using technology to make the practice of Judaism more

feasible in America. These apps also facilitate and emphasize the importance of being with

other Jews.

This concept of the apps purpose to connect Jews with one another to pray together, is

different compared to how other religions are using technology. While there are definitely

Jewish apps that have a digitalized, pocket version of the Hebrew Bible, most of the apps

are about cultural parts of the religion like holidays, food, games, and music.


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These are the first apps that come up when one types in Jewish in the search bar. This is

strikingly different when compared to the apps that come up when one types in Christian

in the search bar. The first apps that appear are


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These apps focus more on bible verses and having access to prayer at all times. This prayer

though does not emphasize being together or stress the necessity of accessing prayer

through being in a church. The Jewish community on the other hand seems to feel that

virtual, private prayer, is not comparable or equal to praying with others, and provides its

members with every tool to be with others. They seem to believe that the religious

community can only stay strong through prayer together, unlike other communities which

do not require its members to be in a church or be with others to pray.

Another aspect of being a Jew in America, is being far from the homeland of Israel. Around

5 million Jews live in Israel today,more than one third of the worlds Jewish population.

Any Jew can make aliyah and become an Israeli citizen and live in the promised land. If an

individual does not decide to move to Israel and become a citizen, the Jewish individual is

heavily encouraged by their community to make a trip to Israel. This expression of the need
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to be in Israel is immersed in the traditions. For example, prayer is always directed in the

direction of Jerusalem and on Passover the seder ends with next year may we be in

Jerusalem! By going to Israel, a country that is formed off of Jewish customs, traditions,

and values it is easier for one to practice their Judaism and feel connected to the Jewish

community because In Israel a Jewish person is in the majority and does not need the apps

listed above to practice their religion. There are even specific programs such as Birthright,

which provide FREE trips to Israel for young Jewish adults ages 18-26 in hopes that after

returning from Israel, the young adult will feel connected to their homeland, their religion,

and then remain active in the Jewish community. But what about the people that have

missed their chance to go on Birthright and just do not have the financial means or are not

healthy enough to make the journey? Well, there is an app designed to get the spiritual

experience one feels when they are at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the remaining part of

the wall surrounding the Temple mount. The app is called Jewish Temple 3D Interactive

Virtual Tour- Jerusalem in Judaism and allows one to visit the holiest site in Judaism- the

Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as it once stood 2,000 years ago


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Despite there being the app to experience the temple as if you are there!the fact of the

matter is that the Jewish community does not market this as aproxy for going to Israel. It isa Jews duty to go to the holy land and immerse oneself in the culture and prayer. Jaron

Lanier in his book, You are Not a Gadget addresses the idea that a digital image of an oil

painting is forever a representation, not a real thing (Lanier, 133). In this case, the city of

Jerusalem, can not be recreated in a digital app because it will always be an imitation.

Lanier puts it perfectly when he says A real painting is a bottomless mystery, like any

other real thing. An oil painting changes with time; cracks appear on its face. It has texture,

odor, and a sense of presence and history (Lanier, 133). The Jewish community clearly

agrees with Laniers point of view, that seeing Israel and Jerusalem through digital pictures

or apps on the iPhone/iPad does not compare to touching the cracks in the holy wall with

ones hands, or feeling the fresh, hot air, or dressing in conservative clothes and being

surrounded by other Jews immersed in prayer.


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Thus while the Jewish community is using technology to help the Jew in America observe

their religion, it does not fully embrace technology as a substitution for real experiences,

like some of the other religions (megachurches). The emphasis is still on human

experience, and joining the community together through prayer and culture.

Robert Bellah addresses the fact that while religion in America is composed of a variety of

traditions from Judaism, to Christianity to Islam to Buddhism, the fact of the matter is that

religion is just a second language, but all of these religions are truly about individualism

and prioritizing the the Self. Individuals view their communities as existing in a covenant

relationship with God, and the Sabbath worship around which religious life centers is a

celebration of that covenant. (Bellah 227) but that The very freedom, openness, and

pluralism of American religious life makes this traditional pattern hard for Americans to

understand...The community exists before the individual is born and will continue after his

or her death. (Bellah 227). In other words, while the apps described above allow the

Jewish community to thrive by making Judaism more feasible for Jews in America and by

connecting people together through prayer, the underlying intention is for the individual to

have control over their prayer, their minyan, and their food. Technology while

strengthening the Jewish community, is allowing for the individual to have the power of

choice in their pocket. They can pray with others, whenever, and wherever they want. No

matter how religious the individual is, they have the power through modern technology to

observe as much or as little as they want.

Lanier would agree with the Jewish community in its view that apps and live webcasts do


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not replicate the experience of being in a synagogue and praying with others. Bellah would

also say that religious traditions are using the new technology to harvest choice in its

institution for the fulfillment of the individual Self. I found through my analysis of the apps

offered for the iPhone and iPad that the Jewish community, unlike other religious

communities, still places great importance on praying with others as well as observing

cultural traditions, believing that this will keep Jews engaged in the alive and vibrant

Jewish world. The Jewish community has taken advantage of modern technology. Often, in

certain areas of the United States, where there is a sparse Jewish population, and where

there is Christian based calendar, it can be logistically difficult for Jews to practice their

religion. However The Jewish community in America has taken advantage and embraced of

modern technology to connect the international Jewish community as a whole allowing the

religious and cultural traditions to survive and thrive.

Now...just for fun...here are some other fun apps I found when I typed in Jewish for the

app

Jewish mother


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Guess Whos Jewish!


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The shticker App: A Jewish Photo Sticker App for Holidays and Everyday


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The Best Jewish Jokes

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