Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie Yoffie devoted a significant part of his November 7 Toronto Biennial Sermon to the Synagogue and the Internet. He argued that synagogues need to see the Web not as a bulletin board for announcements but as an act of communal collaboration, with the potential to empower synagogue members.
The following is an excerpt from that portion of his sermon:
Are we making the most of this potential? Not even close. Almost all our synagogues have email lists and websites; but these are usually a way to present information rather than a means to engage their members. . . .
I believe that we are missing a critical opportunity. The Internet and cyberspace are changing all the rules of Jewish interaction, and we need to be at the forefront of these changes. We need to create an online, Oral Torah of ongoing Jewish discourse, and invite in the opinions of our members. We need to ask our members to share their personal stories and Jewish memories – which they love to do when given the chance. We need to encourage hotly debated, multi-voiced, civil discussions on synagogue and local issues, and on
[T]here is one particular idea that I hope every synagogue will think about immediately, and that is a congregational blog – not just an electronic temple bulletin, but a truly interactive, online forum. We need blogs because the era of one-way, passive information consumption is over. Our members, young and old, expect to talk back and have a conversation; they think in terms of networks rather than hierarchies. And creating a blog is easy and free, and the technology is so simple that even I can understand it. . . . At the beginning, participants may be few, but if we address the real issues in people’s lives, the numbers will grow.
. . . Let’s exchange Jewish memories. Let’s talk about why we come to services or why we don’t. Let’s discuss the big issues of the Jewish world. And Presidents and board members can test ideas and ask for feedback, on anything from dues and membership to personal theology.
It is a rare business nowadays that doesn’t have an online forum for customers to share insights, make observations, and post questions. Given the importance of our sacred work, shouldn’t we be doing the same?
William Safire described the web as an “electronic community of magnetic relevance” with particular significance for Jews. For those shuls that do not have one, the synagogue blog is overdue. Start here.