Conference taveng::bagels

1435.0. ""Jews in Cyberspace" by Moshe Waldoks" by NAC::OFSEVIT (card-carrying member) Wed Oct 12 1994 23:37

    	I copied the attached article in its entirety, including sidebars. 
    Any typing errors are mine; any other errors (and there are some) are
    the author's.

    	I contacted Moshe, who gave his permission to spread the article
    around.  (Practicing as he preaches.)

    		David

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------  

                              Jews in Cyberspace
                               by Moshe Waldoks

    	Picture a ninth-century rabbi of a small community in Spain.  He
    needs a halakhic opinion on divorce, so he does what the spiritual
    leader of any small town would do--he sends a letter to the great sages
    of Baghdad, world center of Jewish learning.  Fortune, or God, smiles
    on him, and within 11 months he has an answer.

    	Picture the twentieth-century Jew, rabbi or lay, from a major
    Jewish community or in the middle of North Dakota.  She also needs an
    opinion on some question of Jewish life or knowledge.  The need to
    connect with another Jew far away is the same as it was for the rabbi a
    millennium ago.  But instead of entrusting her question to a series of
    couriers she turns on her computer and contacts one of the many Jewish
    stations on the Internet.  She has her response in five minutes.  Even
    if the answer requires more time to write, travel time has been cut to
    zero.

    	Jews in cyberspace.  What sounds like the title of a Mel Brooks
    movie is already a reality and the phenomenon is growing daily.  Every
    morning Jews all over the world flick on their personal computers and
    start talking with thousands of other Jews.  While not replacing the
    morning *minyan*, there is indeed a new kind of Jewish community
    emerging.  Faceless international conversation provides a different
    kind of intimacy as electronic messages are beamed halfway across the
    country--or the world.

    	Throughout Jewish history we have availed ourselves of the most
    effective media to share thoughts, feelings, information.  Sometimes we
    used nontraditional means to keep the channels open, as when the Mishna
    was codified at the end of the second century C.E. and our oral
    tradition was written down.  With the advent of movable type in the
    1400's (the first Jewish book to be printed was Rashi's Torah
    commentary) our ability to communicate over distances was enhanced. 
    Today Jewish communities are reaching far beyond the printed page.

    	Dov Winer at Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, founder of the
    Global Jewish Information Network Project, is convinced "today's
    technology allows us to implement projects that a short decade ago were
    no more than dreams.  One that may come true is a network connecting
    all the Jewish communities around the world."

    	Often rooted in ideology, Jewish electronic communication--e-mail--
    retains all the complexity of a masterpiece of Jewish imagination. 
    Sometimes there is noisy quarreling, other times benign affirmations. 
    The conversations maintain the paradoxical nature of the Talmud in that
    they, too, are traditions based on oral and written responses applied
    to specific situations.  Ask any question that comes to mind and
    chances are the list (as these electronic news and interest groups are
    called) will transmit dozens of answers and as many points of view. 
    Send the message *"Mein fus tut-ve"* (my foot hurts) and in five
    minutes you'll have answers ranging from sympathy from the sage in
    Minsk to "Soak it in Epsom salts" from the *chochem* in Peoria and
    "It's all in your head" from anywhere in the world.

    	A recent thread (discussion) on the Liberal Judaism list examined
    the many sides of the intermarriage question.  Instant opinions ranged
    from the traditional "Don't do it" to the innovative "Give 'em some
    chicken soup; it wouldn't hurt!"  Suggestions for kosher travel and
    questions about social customs elicit the same rapid responses.

    	E-mail can be used to send private messages to anyone on the
    Internet (a noncommercial international network of computers linked
    by satellite); commercial networks such as Compuserve, Genie, America
    Online, and MCI Mail can provide pathways to it.

    	International computer communication can be addictive.  The wide
    geographic net, diverse subjects (user groups can be very small and
    specialized or vast and universal) and immediate responses are
    seductive.  "Underlying the appeal of e-mail," explains Bruce Redford,
    professor of English at the University of Chicago, "is that you feel
    you're involved in a conversation."

    	How does one connect with all this?  Consult your local computer
    society or university computer department.  Whatever system you choose
    you'll need a modem (an attachment that connects your home computer via
    telephone lines to a master computer;  many state-of-the-art personal
    computers come with them built in).  Then you subscribe to a service
    that offers two-way communications capability and provides you with
    a personal mailbox number.  You dial the access number and get
    instructions on how to enter your name and your password--like an
    automatic teller machine.  It offers a variety of choices: receiving or
    sending messages, hooking into the various lists, getting information--
    and you've entered cyberspace.

    	From your home you connect with a central computer which will
    connect you with others.  Your phone gives you access to your personal
    mailbox within a larger system.  The whole *chochma* is that your home
    computer becomes an extension of a computer system you would normally
    use at a library, or an information center.

    	For access to many of these services (including Internet) call
    Netcom On-Line (800-501-8649); America On-Line (800-827-6364) or Delphi
    Internet (800-695-4005).  Most services charge a monthly fee for
    unlimited use--anywhere from about $15 to $30--others will charge
    overtime after a set number of hours.

    	If you have a modem that connects your personal computer to a phone
    line you may reach the following without subscribing to a network
    service:  B'KOL (Boston Kesher OnLine--a service of the Boston Bureau
    of Education), 617-964-3161; L'CHAYIM, 718-576-7347; KESHERNET,
    415-454-8208; CHI WAY, 214-239-2607.

    	The instantaneous nature of this new wizardry deprives us of the
    opportunity to immediately verify content, and rumors can now spread
    continent to continent with the same speed it used to take to spread
    from house to house.  But these apprehensions are mitigated by the many
    avenues of inquiry open to us.  Alan Stein, president of The American
    Jewish Information Network, sees "a global Jewish network already
    existing, its potential yet to be scratched."  His goal is to promote
    the effective use of electronic communications by the American Jewish
    community.

    	Stein is aided by Jerusalem-based Avram Goodblat, who was
    instrumental in establishing many vehicle for Jewish communication via
    the Nysernet, a company that services hundreds of lists.  One of the
    great difficulties is that many Jewish organizations don't realize how
    vital these resources are becoming, particularly in increasing
    membership in the coming decade.

    	"In our small 132-family Jewish community we are circulating hard
    [printed] copies of Liberal Judaism by snail mail [the postal
    service]," explains Dan Yurman of Idaho Falls, Idaho.  "Given our
    isolation from mainstream Jewish groups, it is read with great interest
    as a window onto a world of intelligent--well, most of the time--
    discourse on Jewish life.  National Jewish groups have consistently
    turned their backs on rural Jewish populations on the grounds, perhaps
    accurate, that the money and the brains are in urban centers.  Nysernet
    services are very helpful."

    	Ably moderated by Californian Daniel Fagin, Liberal Judaism is for
    those without an Orthodox bent.  Discussions range from the structure
    of the *siddur* to intermarriage, from the place of Hasidic doctrine in
    liberal Judaism to the tensions between ethics and faith.  One amusing
    thread asked for suggestions on the criteria for picking a rabbi--
    sexual orientation has become an issue lately and ironically,
    congregations calling themselves egalitarian have been known to balk at
    hiring women as rabbis.  Another concerned itself with some practical
    aspects of synagogue life (Should the bulletin of a liberal
    congregation publish reviews of nonkosher restaurants?  Can non-Jewish
    spouses of members come to the *bima* for honors?).

    	The subjects covered on close to 35 different Jewish electronic
    bulletin boards, news groups, discussion groups and information
    networks run the gamut from high-powered polemics in the aftermath of
    the Hebron massacre on the unmoderated Social Cultural Jewish Newsgroup
    to discussions of the halakhic dimensions of rabbinic authority on the
    well-moderated (by New Jersey-based Avi Feldblum) list which works on
    the premise of the validity of *halakha* [[email protected]].

    	Winer is pursuing the first international consultation via the
    Internet, Israel-2020, which will bring together within the next year
    or two over 70 participants in a discussion on the future of
    Israel-diaspora relations.  Like a symposium, messages are already
    coming in from around the world.  Participants correspond in English,
    and they all receive the same articles and resources necessary to make
    these discussions more than ideological free-for-alls--or flames, as
    diatribes are called.

    	A favorite for Yiddish-lovers is Mendele.  Moderated by the
    *shamus*, "Reb" Noyach Miller, it delves into Yiddish grammar, folk
    expressions, cross-cultural anthropology (i.e., Christmas lights used
    as *sukka* decorations in B'nai Brak and Boro Park), information on
    Yiddish gatherings, books and, of course, jokes and stories in English
    or transliterated Yiddish.  the list boasts leading academic
    Yiddishists among the *shmoozers* [[email protected]].

    	News junkies can receive daily bulletins prepared by the Israel
    Consul General in New York on Israeline.  Internet users can take
    university courses, have access to reports from government agencies and
    receive product information and support services.  The Hadassah-Hebrew
    University Medical Center has signed an agreement with the National
    Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Mental Health in
    Bethesda, Maryland, establishing the Medical Literature Analysis and
    Retrieval System (MEDLARS) Center in Israel, "the first of a new
    generation of international centers that rely on Internet for online
    access to NLM's databases," says Elliot R. Siegel, NLM's associate
    director.  Physicians and researchers in Jerusalem and ultimately
    throughout Israel will have computer access to America's vast medical
    and scientific resources; those in Bethesda will learn from HMO how to
    best use Internet to search the data on medical research and patient
    care.

    	By propelling us into a new consciousness of the interdependence of
    humans and the planet we share, computer communication serve to support
    the unity of the Jewish worldview.  "We are on the cutting edge of a
    new Jewish community that in the next century will [make contact]
    instantly with its member regardless of their location," says David
    Kaiman of Pensacola, Florida.  "This new society...will be able to
    fulfill many [of the] social, intellectual, and educational needs the
    future will bring."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    MOSHE WALDOKS, Ph. D., [[email protected]], sits in front
    of his PC for too many hours a day.  He'd love to hear from you.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

                               GETTING STARTED

    *The Internet for Dummies* by John R. Levine and Carol Baroudi (IDG
    BOoks).

    *Navigating the Internet* by Mark Gibbs and Richrd Smith (SAMS
    Publishing, Prentice-Hall).

    *Hands-On Internet: A Beginning guide for PC Users* by David Sachs and
    Henry Stair (PTR Prentice-Hall).

    *The Internet Guide for New Users* by Daniel P. Dern (McGraw-Hill).

    *Macintosh Internet Starter Kit* by Adam C. Engst (Hayden Books). 
    Software included.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

                  SELECTED DIRECTORY OF JEWISH E-MAIL LISTS

    Unless otherwise indicated subscription requests to the following are
    to be sent to [[email protected]].  To subscribe, type in
    SUB, the name of the list and your name.  They'll acknowledge, and from
    then on you use only the post address.  Except for Israeline
    [[email protected]], a straight daily news digest, all are
    bulletin boards that offer the opportunity to respond.  Addresses
    sometimes change so consult the American Jewish Information Network
    [[email protected]] when necessary.

    o BRIDGES: A Journal for Jewish Feminists and Our Friends.  Post
    messages to: [email protected]

    o CAMERA: Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting--Action
    Alert.  Offers an opportunity to respond to the information you
    receive.  Post messages to: [email protected]

    o DAF-YOMI is a discussion group based on the worldwide schedule of
    Torah study, in which one page of Babylonian Talmud is studied each
    day, leading to completion of the *Gemara* in some 7-1/2 years.  Post
    messages to: [email protected]

    o GLOBAL JEWISH INFORMATION NETWORK, offering academic subjects for lay
    people in a question-and-answer format, hooks into an information
    center at the Hebrew University.  Log in the password JEWISH NET to
    enter the system.  Post message to telnetwww.HUJI.ac.il

    o Holocaust list.  Holocaust history, new, give-and-take. 
    Subscription:  [email protected].  Post messages to:
    [email protected]

    o IOUDAIOS, Greek for Jew, explores first-century C.E. Judaism, with a
    special interest in Philo of Alexandria and Flavius Josephus. 
    Subscription:  LISTSERV@YORKVM1.  Post messages to: LISTSERV@YORKVM1

    o JECKE-L is for Jews who can only communicate in German or just want
    to practice the language and discuss Jewish issues.  Subscription:
    [email protected].  Post messages to [email protected]

    o JEWISH LAW is devoted to *halakha* and its application to
    contemporary events and to the activities of scholars.  Post messages
    to: [email protected]

    o JEWISH-MUSIC spreads the word about Jewish recordings and musicians
    and where to find them.  Post messages to:
    [email protected]

    o Jewish Ozzies International Network connects you with Australian
    Jews.  Subscription: [email protected].  Post messages to:
    [email protected]

    o JUDEO-L is a list for Spanish- and Portugese-speaking Jews. 
    Communicate with some of the 450,000 Jews in Latin AMerica, many of
    them students with access to e-mail.  Subscription:
    [email protected].  Post messages to:
    [email protected]

    o Liberal Judaism.  Post message to liberal [email protected], 
    [email protected]

    o NATIONAL HILLEL puts you in touch with the campus community, students
    as well as professionals.  Post messages to: [email protected]

    o NEKUDA, The Electronic Journal from Judea, Samaria, and Gaza offers
    news items on the West Bank.  Post messages to
    [email protected]

    o OXFORD-JUDAISM is a weekly Torah message with a Chabad-Lubavich
    affiliation.  Post messages to: [email protected]

    o SEFARAD, The Sephardic Electronic Archive.  Information, comments,
    question-and-answer.  Post messages to: [email protected] or
    [email protected]

    o SHABBAT SHALOM is a weekly bulleting issued by Rabbi Kalman Packouz
    for Aish HaTorah Institutions, an Orthodix returnee yeshiva.  Post
    messages to: listserv@[email protected]

    [published in Hadassah Magazine, June/July 1994] 
    [entered with permission of the author]