Big Tent Judaism

Increasing Online Accessibility to Judaism

Here at JOI, we get a lot of emails from people looking for help in navigating the world of interfaith marriage. The reasons for their inquiries vary – some live in rural communities without access to a rabbi, others don’t belong to a synagogue and aren’t sure where to turn. Reaching out over email is not unusual, but according to a new survey by Ynet, a news website in Israel, more and more people are turning to “internet rabbis” even if they live in urban areas or belong to a congregation. The reason: greater accessibility.

I can’t say I’m surprised at the survey’s results. After all, sending an email is a lot quicker than writing a letter, or even making a phone call. In our case, as a national organization with headquarters in New York, our blog and various list serves allow us to reach an audience worldwide. But we are also a somewhat specialized organization. What’s interesting about the survey is the number of people who have access to a rabbi but would rather click through to find an answer written by a rabbi.

The Ynet survey only seemed to cover people searching for basic Judaism related questions, and there are plenty of websites designed for this purpose. Our website has a Q and A section, and participants in our Mothers Circle program have access to a virtual rabbi who can answer questions and concerns about the particulars of Jewish practice, tradition, history, community, culture, and belief. But what about rabbi’s expanding their services online, beyond answering questions? When people living far from any synagogue write to us with a desire to explore becoming a Jew, we often point them to the website of Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn. He is based in Florida, but he offers an online conversion course to anyone who wants to become Jewish, whether you are in New Mexico or New Zealand.

We have blogged in the past about “virtual synagogues” and the rising number of outreach professionals who use podcasts (essentially a radio program that can be downloaded and listened to at a later time) to reach people who may not feel comfortable stepping into Jewish institutions. These are all great examples of electronic Public Space Judaism^SM - maximizing technology to reach those on the periphery of the Jewish community where they are, on their terms. Some might think the lack of personal contact with a rabbi doesn’t fully represent Judaism, but for many it can be the first step in joining our Big Tent.

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