This is Shandlers section on
contemporary affects of media and the Jewish religion. He discusses that new
media is often viewed as one extreme or the other in religious terms, either a
miracle or a devil. People often jump to conclusions instead of just waiting it
out and actually see the affects. One of his examples was the CD of the Talmud,
in which one of his prof’s was certain would result in Talmud being out of a
job, which was not the case, things are rarely that transformational. And
although it also became online, this is digitalized form only goes so far. The
Talmud is even available with podcasts and programs from websites. This online
source has taken away the traditional study of the Talmud, to where a person
had to know the entire book and remember details as small as where on the page
was the information located, and on what page. Though digital forms take away
this aspect, it does not remove the difficulty of the content of the book, and
is still extremely hard to master. Therefore this digital form changed the ways
of teaching and testing the students, not the actual mastery or job of the
Professors of Talmud
Many positive views of new media
encourage a change of the way of life. New media is different ways of
socializing, connecting and engagement with others. It also serves as new ways
to enter Judaism, and alters their spiritual journey. For example the book Judaism Online: Confronting Spirituality on
the Internet by Zakar and Kaufmann, displays the media’s impact on
converting to Judaism. Open Source
Haggadah is another example of this (Haggadah is text that you read before
Passover Seder, a commandment of teaching your children the stories). Also
Jewish forms of programs, matchmaking for dating and worship is available
online and even a 3-D website of virtual Jews (Second Life) which has
synagogues, holocaust memorials, museums, etc online. Second Life is an online
world, a second realm for Jews and Non Jews to better understand, a way to
reinvent themselves as Javatars as they call it. This program is intended to
facilitate interest in Jewish culture and heritage, but its affects are yet to
be determined. Second Life also has a
matchmaking business, but it is uncertain that those people seeking love are
Real Life Jews. Their purpose was to
recreate the Jewish debate, and stimulate interest in the culture. For others,
they claim they aren’t different between realms, and that Second Life simply
offers and extension of the Jews they already are
Another virtual Jew are the ones in
Germany, though they play Jewish music, do Jewish theater, etc they aren’t
actually Jewish, developed by desire instead of actual facts or traditions.
Some may say that these medias
inhibit information, and end humanity, but others argue that it enhances it,
and “increases centrality of the body”, intensifies their life and culture and
grows the Jewish network. However, Shandler wants to emphasize to not take
extremes, and find peace “somewhere in the middle”, new media gives us options.
A negotiation, a compromise in the community a way for the observer to play a
role in participating/experiencing the Jewish life and obstacles, and see new
possibilities for practices.
No comments:
Post a Comment