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Does Israel Love Iran? Does Iran Love Israel?

rabbifink — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:51:10 +0000

Most of the news regarding the possibility of conflict between Israel and Iran is not good. The impression one gets from reading the news is that there is an impending Armageddon. The lines in the sand are being drawn, sides are being chosen, heroes and villains are being portrayed.

It is true that the governments of the two nations are ideologically opposed to one another. It is also true that much of the talk regarding this conflict comes from the fringes of each nation. The fundamentalists of Iran dreaming of a region free of the Zionist usurpers and the right wing of Israel (backed by the right wing of the United States) leaving the negotiating table, assuming there ever was a negotiating table, and embracing the challenge of a full blown military operation.

But what do the people want?

For thousands of years, leaders of men have called their followers into war for the sake of whatever the leaders want. In ancient times, in medieval times, in modern times, it made no difference to the warrior if he fought under the flag of red or blue. But it mattered to the their leaders. Citizens born in Germany fought for the Axis Powers and people born in England fought for the Allied Powers.

The men who fight, kill, and die in war have the least to gain or lose by war. Usually, the people at the top, who are the furthest from harm’s way have the most to gain from war. If they win, they control more people. If they lose, they are relegated to civilian status or worse, they are dead.

War in the 21st century almost seems anachronistic. I absolutely respect and revere those heroes in the armed forces who dedicate their lives to our safety. It just seems to me that humanity’s collective resources should be more efficiently spent in our current era of enlightenment. When people were less sophisticated war made a lot more sense than it does today.

So what do the people of Iran and Israel want?

According to some peace activists in Israel and Iran, the answer is that they want peace. The rallying cry of the Israeli activists, Ronny Edry and Michal Tamar is “How can I hate someone I don’t even know?“. First of all, they are absolutely right. How can you? Taking it one step further, some Iranian peace activists on Facebook are lobbying for the Israelis to win a Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.

I know there are cynics out there who think that this is all part of some plot to soften the Israelis so that they are easier to destroy in the inevitable war. There are people who will find this post offensive. There were plenty who found the cartoon at the top of this post offensive when it was floating around Facebook. But I do believe that there are good people everywhere and there are plenty of peace loving people in all countries. They may not be in positions of leadership or authority, but they exist. Harnessing the power of the Internet, these people can find a common voice and perhaps their voice of reason will prevail.

As our world shrinks, it is harder and harder to invent fake boogeymen for others to despise. How much longer can fascist countries lie to their citizens about freedom and liberty? I don’t think it can be much longer. The fact is that information is impossible to censor and good, intelligent, passionate people are finding that they share more in common with the average citizen of Israel or even Iran than they do with the crazy leaders who want World War III.

Let us hope that the Internet can help spread this message of unity and commonality among groups of people who are not yet friends. Let us hope that our young men and women will be spared the horrors of battle. Let us hope that we can find enough in common with our fellow human beings that killing another for the sake of nationalism or pride will be so abhorrent that it will be eradicated.

If we communicate and share common goals and experiences, we can change the way enemies view one another. There has never been a better time.

Link: Ynet

Sign the Petition: GoPetition.com

See Also: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Rabbis and Facebook

rabbifink — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:59:28 +0000

Ynet covered a conference in Israel where one of the topics being discussed was whether rabbis should be active on Facebook.

Some rabbis said it is prohibited to be on Facebook. Others said that a rabbi must be on Facebook. Another suggested the rabbi’s wife be on Facebook (which begs the question, if it is okay for the wife, why not the husband!?).

This has to be one of the dumbest conversations I have ever heard. There are as many kinds of orthodox rabbis as people. Each rabbi is different. Each rabbi has a different role. Each rabbi has a different personality with strengths and weaknesses. To raise the issue as a general one is so typical of today’s “conformity Judaism”.

The only acceptable answer for whether a rabbi should be on Facebook is: Maybe.

I can’t believe I have to say this, but… If you are an ultra-orthodox rabbi of an ultra-orthodox congregation or school, it makes no sense to be on Facebook. Your constituents and students are not using the medium so with whom will you be communicating?

If your congregation or students are on Facebook a rabbi needs to decide how he wants to interact with them. A rabbi has to decide if he wants his message broadcast in a modern medium. A rabbi has to decide if he wants to communicate with his congregants and students in a less formal fashion. A rabbi has to decide if his Facebook activity will be personal, professional, both or neither.

These are personal decisions. They are not communal decisions. Making a rule for all rabbis to follow is so incredibly stupid, it hurts my brain.

Facebook is not a boogeyman. Just like other forms of media and communication, it is a medium. Medium are not good, nor are they bad. They just are. Whether they are good or bad depends on how they are used.

Facebook can give rabbis additional opportunities to connect with and affect those who look to them for guidance and leadership. You just need to know how to do it. Facebook gives everyone a voice. It gives a chance for lay people to express themselves to the rabbi and communicate without scheduling meetings or coming to classes. Facebook actually works well at maintaining distant relationships. We all have members of our community or prior students who have moved on. Facebook can help there too.

For rabbis and lay people, Facebook is a personal choice. Like everything else in this world, its utility and benefit hinge upon one’s choices. We don’t need blanket rules as much as we need critical thinking abilities.

A better conference topic would be: Teaching Rabbis who want to use Facebook how to use it effectively.

Link: Ynet

Andrew Sullivan Sticks it to Gladwell and Rich on Social Media (and I absolutely agree)

rabbifink — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:32:13 +0000

(I don't know who to whom to credit this photo. Sullivan had it on his post.)

Everyone remembers the Malcolm Gladwell column about social media. It was the one where he said “the revolution will not be tweeted”. The basic premise is that revolutions need “strong ties” and the Internet does not create strong ties.

Everyone is also supposed to remember what I said about it at the time : Malcolm Gladwell Doesn’t Use Twitter or Facebook But He Is Pretty Sure They Are Useless.

Yet another luddite has weighed in on the issue as well. Frank Rich said this:

The talking-head invocations of Twitter and Facebook instead take the form of implicit, simplistic Western chauvinism. How fabulous that two great American digital innovations can rescue the downtrodden, unwashed masses. That is indeed impressive if no one points out that, even in the case of the young and relatively wired populace of Egypt, only some 20 percent of those masses have Internet access.

The recent protests and revolutions in the middle east should serve as a good case study for whether Gladwell / Rich is right or wrong. I have supposed that the protests were organized and galvanized via the Internet and in particular Facebook and Twitter. (See: The Future is Now (or coming soon)).

It turns out there is some data on all of this. Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic has a some anecdotal evidence. (Theses quotes were compiled by Sullivan.) Here is what Facebook says about the revolution in Tunisia:

…several hundred thousand more users than it had ever had before in Tunisia, a country with a few more people than Michigan. Scaled up to the size to the U.S., the burst of activity was like adding 10 million users in a week. And the average time spent on the site more than doubled what it had been before.

Twitter helped also. From the NY Times Lede blog:

Less than two weeks ago, Slim Amamou, a Tunisian blogger and activist, was using his @slim404 Twitter feed to let friends know that the police had been to his house. Later the same day, after he was arrested, the 33-year-old computer programmer managed to turn his phone on and log on to Google Latitude to broadcast his location: inside the country’s feared ministry of the interior.

And on the role of the Internet and social media in general we have this from Slim Amamou, a Tunisian activist who is now part of their government:

In 2008, there were uprisings in Redeyef, similar to what happened in Sidibouzid. But back then it seems that the internet community did not reach a critical mass. And then at that time, Facebook got censored for a week or two. I don’t remember if it was related. But it was like a training for this revolution. People think that this revolution happened out of nowhere but we, on the Internet have been trying for years, together and all over the Arab world. The last campaign that mobilised people was for Khaled Said in Egypt, and we Tunisians participated. And you have to remember that Egyptians (and people all over the world) participated in the Tunisian revolution: they informed, they participated in Anonymous attacks and they even were the first to demonstrate for Sidibouzid in Cairo.

There is not much to add here. Sullivan did a good job making his point. It’s a point that I absolutely agree with.

Like anything, there is much good to social media. There is bad as well. It is a tool that can be wielded by the brave, courageous and honorable. It can also be used to hurt people, spread lies and inflict pain. There is no reason to fear social media. As usual we only need fear the idiots that use it to act like idiots.

Link: The Atlantic

Who is the Mayor of the Temple Mount?

rabbifink — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 05:56:41 +0000

There is a social media tool found on Facebook, a site called Foursquare and a site called Gowalla. It’s called “Checking In”. The idea is simple, whenever you go somewhere significant which you would like to share with others, you “check in” on one of those sites and anyone who “follows you” can see where you’ve checked in. You use your smartphone and its built in GPS to check in.

I don’t participate in this effort, but I know plenty of people who do.

You can choose anywhere in the world to check in but only when you there. (I know this is terrible english, I just cannot think of how to write this properly. Sorry.) Some business do give-aways to people who check in and Foursquare keeps track of all check ins at a particular location and the person with the most check ins is the mayor.

A Jewish girl is the mayor of the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. I kid you not.

The Temple Mount is one of the most hotly contested plots of land in the world, if not the most contested piece of property. And on Foursquare the dispute has been settled.

Obviously, her competition for the mayorship is slim. I doubt most of the folks at Al Aqsa Mosque know about Foursquare. But I bet if they find out about it, they will try to get the mayorship for themselves.

In the real world, this accomplishment means absolutely nothing. Yet, it’s news…

Check out the article in The New York Observer here: Disputed Territories: Nice Jewish Girl Claims Foursquare Mayorship of Temple Mount

The article mentions that orthodox Jews are prohibited from venturing to the Temple Mount. While most orthodox Jews follow this ruling, this is under dispute. Some rabbis do ascend the Temple Mount. Just thought I’d point that out.

Malcolm Gladwell Doesn’t Use Twitter or Facebook But He Is Pretty Sure They Are Useless

rabbifink — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:49:11 +0000

I am an unabashed fan of Malcom Gladwell. (See: Outliers: Section 1 (and my grandfather), Another Gladwell Gem | How David Beats Goliath and Manny Being Manny | Some ‘Gladwellian’ Insight.

But when the man is wrong he deserves to be called out.

In a recent New Yorker article, Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted, Gladwell writes that we are told that the world is in the midst of a revolution. Twitter, Facebook, blogging et al have given the people a voice that they previously had not had. This will be the medium of social change for the next generation.

Gladwell vehemently disagrees.

In his inimitable style, Gladwell makes the case that there is a qualitative difference between strong-tie connections and weak-tie connections. He holds that strong-tie connections come from real life social interactions and friendships. Electronic relationships only create weak-ties. Further, he contends that the purported social changes that Facebook and Twitter have effected are bogus. (He might be right about that one…).

Gladwell then demonstrates that all social change generates from relationships. I agree. Read this post for more on that: Human Beings Are Social Beings).

Here is what gets my goat: Gladwell assumes that relationships created with Twitter / Facebook / blogging are weak-tie relationships. That is an assumption that many would disagree with. Further, he makes this assumption while sitting in his ivory tower of “old media”, writing for a magazine in a dying industry AND, here is the kicker – he DOESN’T USE FACEBOOK OR TWITTER!!! Gladwell has a twitter account, in fact he has two twitter accounts and he has 22 total tweets between the two of them.

Shorter Gladwell: “I don’t know how to use Twitter, ergo, it must be useless.”

Finally, the next social changes will almost certainly come via strong-tie relationships. However, social media has the ability to create strong-tie relationships if that is your goal and you use them to achieve that goal. Revolutions will inevitably occur. And invariably the revolutions will take place in real life and they will also take place in the digital world. Those who have strong-tie relationships in the digital world will utilize social media to help their cause and that will be a decided advantage over the cave dwellers and Luddites who listen to Malcolm Gladwell when it comes to social media.

Why Blogging Is Good

rabbifink — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:01:51 +0000

On Twitter, someone (HT below) linked to this Verizon ad. I confess to never seeing the ad on TV but I commend Verizon for putting their ads on YouTube. Sometimes ads are art. This is one of those times.

I also admit to using Verizon for absolutely zero services. I don’t like them very much, I think their logo is dated, their name is weird and their customer service is deplorable. But I know a good ad when I see one.

Do I think this ad translates into sales? Probably not.

It remains an excellent piece of art.

Before Web 2.0 (user created content on the web) the public were consumers and not producers of content. That meant that a very select group of advantaged people became the voice of the people. Their opinions were the only opinions that mattered. This goes contrary to the American spirit of “We the People”.

That has all changed. The people have a voice. That voice is important (and can be disconcerting when we lose it, see: Your Unique Voice and A Kafkaesque Experience). YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, (which will become YouTwitFace in the year 3000) Blogging and commenting are the voice of the people. It is an almost completely democratic universe. If your content is good, people will read it or watch or discuss it. It’s a win for everyone.

If you don’t get it – watch the ad.

This ad gets it.

HT: HannabiNYC

Become a Fan of Pacific Jewish Center on Facebook

rabbifink — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:20:22 +0000

As you can see I have added a widget to the sidebar that will allow you to “Like” Pacific Jewish Center on Facebook.

If you read this blog you are part of the PJC community and you should definitely “Like” us. So please be a pal, and “Like” us today! Certainly, if you have come to the Shul on the Beach at any point in time or join us on a regular basis you should “Like” us.

You can “like” PJC on the right hand side of this blog. Just click the “Like” next to the “thumbs up”.

If you can think of anything that should be added to the Facebook Page please let me know and I will try and make it happen!

To visit the Pacific Jewish Center Facebook Page click here: PJC on Facebook

Frum Satire Show At Pacific Jewish Center

rabbifink — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:55:15 +0000

Heshy just posted this on his blog and since we are the hosts, I am reposting for your information and reference.

I know it’s a bit short notice but I (Heshy Fried / Frum Satire) will be performing this coming Sunday February 14th in Los Angeles at the Pacific Jewish Center AKA Shul on the Beach (on the Venice Beach Boardwalk) at 6pm. The rabbi of the shul is fellow blogger/contributor Eliyahu Fink.

Facebook event – please share with your friends.

Frum Satire live in Los Angeles@ The Shul on the Beach 6pm
505 Ocean Front Walk
Los Angeles, CA 90291
Cost of admission is a suggested donation to the shul of $5-10 (non-members)

Heshy will be spending Shabbos in Venice. The community looks forward to hosting Heshy.

So I hope to see you all on Sunday!

-ef

Book Review | The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook

rabbifink — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:58:23 +0000

Yesterday I flew from New York to Los Angeles. We got to the airport just under 3 hours before our flight. This is a direct result of missing a few flights in the last few years. We always err on the side of caution.

I stopped in a Hudson Books to peruse the available reading material. Prominently displayed was a new book by Ben Mezrich called “The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and BetrayalThe Accidental Billionaires“. I am a big fan of Mezrich having read, Busting Vegas: A True Story of Monumental Excess, Sex, Love, Violence, and Beating the OddsBusting Vegas, 21: Bringing Down the House - Movie Tie-In: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for MillionsBringing Down the House (I recommend all those books). I took a look at the book and discovered it was about the founding and founders of Facebook.

I bought the book.

And so should you.

Why?

The book is interesting, tells a compelling story and most of all offers fantastic insight into our world. Facebook transformed the way we interact with each other on the web and in real life.

Before Facebook, the web was mostly information that someone else put on the web for you to learn from. The genius of Facebook is that it gave everyone the opportunity to share their lives with their friends on the web. Facebook is a web platform that is the really the voice of the people. Facebook wrestled the web away from corporate content providers and gave the power of the web to you and me and our friends.

Prior to Facebook there was MySpace. MySpace was and continues to be a big advertisement for one’s brand, band, etc. It is not a relationship building platform. Facebook is a place to meet and befriend people. It is your real life, just online. Facebook took the interactions of our daily lives and transported them onto a web page. That is why Facebook is not only the largest online community, but is also the most popular photo sharing site on the web. People share their lives in a natural way on Facebook.

Twitter really took the Facebook lesson of sharing and community building and over-simplified it. Twitter has also become wildly successful because it builds community.

Understanding our highly interactive online world is important and this book really illuminates that reality.

The other thing that made the book powerful was the struggle the founders of Facebook encountered while attributed credit to the creator of Facebook.

See, Facebook wasn’t revolutionary. It was just social networking done the right way. Other folks had thought of similar sites and other sites were launched and they failed.

The tension over whose idea Facebook was is something that happens all the time in our modern world. People think of ideas or concepts at the same time as others. One of those parties may be successful with their version of the idea and the other version may fail. When the failing version owners realize they have not succeeded oftentimes they get angry, they file lawsuits, they yell and scream and make themselves look bad.

Much of the book is dedicated to appreciating this complex dynamic and it is a valuable lesson in modern fairness.

I recommend The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayalthis book (click to purchase) to anyone wishing to gain insight and appreciation for our interactive, modern, web based universe. As well as people who just like reading a good book about a college geek who became the youngest billionaire in the history of America.

Rabbi Zelik Epstein, Of Blessed Memory

rabbifink — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:34:47 +0000

Yesterday, the Jewish world lost a spiritual giant (good article worth reading). Rabbi Zelik Epstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Shaar Hatorah in Queens passed away. He was 97.

R’ Zelik was a relic of the past. He studied Torah in Europe with some the greatest Torah scholars of recent American Jewry, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and Rabbi Yaakov Kamanetsky.

Perhaps even more significantly, he was above the fray. He did not get involved in politics and instead, studied, taught and advised and preached Torah and its values.

Today the Jewish community mourns a man of integrity, scholarship and clarity.

Today, I mourn a man who taught my grandfather, Sidney Greenwald, over 50 years ago in the fledgling Beis Medrash Elyon. My grandfather was very proud to have learned from R’ Zelik.

Today, students of his across the world, in every imaginable profession and walk of life, mourn the loss of their teacher and spiritual guide.

Case in point: Native New Yorkers who listen to Sports Radio are all familiar with “The Fan” 660 WFAN. Anyone who has listened during the daytime has become familiar with “Davening Dov Kramer”, an orthodox Jew. Davening Dov has worked at WFAN for as long as I can remember. He has been a Kiddush Hashem showing the world a wonderful example of an Observant Jew.

Last night Dov sent me a Tweet, to check out a note he wrote on Facebook. Dov wrote a note on his Facebook Profile mourning the loss of his Rebbe. I highly recommend reading it in its entirety Facebook account required (if you don’t have one, send me an email and I will email the note to you directly). I would like to quote one small section that I found most powerful.

I had gotten into radio to be able to reach people through the medium I always loved, and had wanted to learn the business from the “pros” before going into “Jewish” radio. … I didn’t think leaving radio (at least temporarily) would hinder my original goal of positively influencing people via the radio, so wanted to quit my job, move back to Israel (again, I was single and in my late 20s) to learn full-time. I figured I could get free room and board if I did something like being a dorm counselor at a yeshiva for Americans, so would still have no expenses and be able to focus on my learning. Before doing what I thought was clearly the “frum” thing to do (stop working to learn full-time), I went to speak to Rav Zelik.

I told him my plan, but he said it wasn’t a good idea. He was afraid that making such a radical change was unhealthy, and there was a danger that after a while I would regret having done it. Instead, he told me that I should keep working at WFAN … and learn for semicha at night. I had been doing some volunteer work for a kiruv organization (JEP-LI), and they offered me a job that would allow me to work half a day and learn half a day. I asked Rav Zelig if that was an option worth considering, and he told me that if I thought I could get “sipuk hanefesh,” that I would be satisfied doing kiruv professionally, that I could do it, but otherwise, the less of a change in my life I make while studying for semicha, the better.

I had gotten into radio to be able to reach people through the medium I always loved, and had wanted to learn the business from the “pros” before going into “Jewish” radio. I had worked at a dance station (Hot 103), in the news dept. of a country-music station (WHN) and had worked on live talk shows and ball games for a few years. I didn’t think leaving radio (at least temporarily) would hinder my original goal of positively influencing people via the radio, so wanted to quit my job, move back to Israel (again, I was single and in my late 20s) to learn full-time. I figured I could get free room and board if I did something like being a dorm counselor at a yeshiva for Americans, so would still have no expenses and be able to focus on my learning. Before doing what I thought was clearly the “frum” thing to do (stop working to learn full-time), I went to speak to Rav Zelig.

I told him my plan, but he said it wasn’t a good idea. He was afraid that making such a radical change was unhealthy, and there was a danger that after a while I would regret having done it. Instead, he told me that I should keep working at WFAN (I was working Sundays thru Thursdays from 11am-7pm, with “Mike and the Mad Dog” Mon-Thurs, but because of Shabbos worked Sundays instead of Fridays) and learn for semicha at night. I had been doing some volunteer work for a kiruv organization (JEP-LI), and they offered me a job that would allow me to work half a day and learn half a day. I asked Rav Zelig if that was an option worth considering, and he told me that if I thought I could get “sipuk hanefesh,” that I would be satisfied doing kiruv professionally, that I could do it, but otherwise, the less of a change in my life I make while studying for semicha, the better.

This is a glimpse into the insight of a great man. Many people would have just assumed that more studying was an automatically better option. R’ Zelik knew his student and knew what was truly best for his situation.

This kind of indiviualized, custom tailored Judaism is something a bit lacking in our “one-size-fits-all” society. We need more Rabbis who can lead like R’ Zelik did.

It is in this light that we all mourn the loss of a true individual, a true Gadol, R’ Zelik Epstein.

A Happy 2009 Birthday

rabbifink — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:36:23 +0000

Yesterday was my birthday.

I am not huge “birthday guy”. I love my children’s birthday more than my own birthday and my mother loves my birthday more than I do.

A lot of people know my birthday. Co-workers, family and friends all know my birthday. This year I got a ton of birthday wishes.

But it was different.

One summer when I was in sleepaway camp on my birthday I got like 250 “in person” birthday wishes. The guy who made the breakfast anouncements said “the 100th person who wishes Eliyahu Fink a Happy Birthday gets a free soda”. Everyone wanted a free soda so throughout the day random kids were wishing me Happy Birthday. I like that. It felt good to be acknowledged (birthday or not…).

This year, I was not in sleepaway camp and there were no contests.

I got 7 in person happy birthdays.

I got 2 phonecall happy birthdays.

I got 8 Twitter timeline happy birthdays.

I got 3 Twitter direct message happy birthdays.

I got 2 SMS Text happy birthdays.

I got 39 Facebook happy birthdays.

Notice a trend?

Yes, technology contributed tremendously to my birthday wishes.

I don’t have any major commentary about this, I just think it is notable. Social networking plays such an important role in our 2009 lives. It is not going to change so if you are not yet on Twitter or Facebook or leaving comments on blogs, you are a little behind the curve.

That’s okay. I am not saying we all need to be ahead of the curve. What I am saying is our world is trending into a more digital era.

Be ready!

Onymous Blogging

rabbifink — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:51:22 +0000

This post has been cross-posted to DovBear. – more discussion there.

Social Networking has been around for a long time. The term is nearly two centuries old and the concept perhaps 30 times that.

With the internet explosion around the new millennium social networking became all the rage on the world wide web. MySpace and others blazed the trail. Now, blogging, Facebook and Twitter are an integral part of our social landscape.

Naturally, I was drawn to these new age ways of using technology to create social networks. I’ve been on Facebook since its inception five years ago and joined Twitter a while ago and have only recently begun to blog.

Over the last few weeks some incredible things have happened that are direct results of social networking online.

A couple of weeks ago a lovely woman came to our Shul on the Beach for Shabbos morning services. At the Kiddush (where incredibly, we do not have Kugel) she approached me and introduced herself as “Rena, I follow you on Twitter”. Immediately I realized it was @Tinsbar from Baltimore. Rena was in LA for a few days and decided to come check out our Shul. Rena enjoyed her time spent at PJC and we enjoyed her company. In fact one community member even got some footwear recommendations from Rena!

When I related this story to a Shul Board Member, he said this is the new wave of Shuls. We have moved from being just a “Brick and Morter” Shul to a “Click and Mortar” Shul.

About a month ago I posted the story of a penniless Jewish artist on the beach who was homeless. He needed some money and I was not sure if he was a good candidate for Tzedaka and I posted my moral dilemma on DovBear.

As reported last week, an anonymous donor (living miles away from Los Angeles) who read the blog post here on DovBear, literally saved this man from a dire situation.

On Twitter I follow a wonderful couple from Connecticut. She is a blogging convert and is now in the process of a more stringent conversion that would be universally accepted. He is a fellow blogger as well who blogs about his relationship with his Judaism.

He recently discovered the wonderful Jewish town of Waterbury CT. With a Yeshiva, Day School, Shul, Mikva, Kosher restaurant and very affordable housing, Waterbury is quickly picking up young couples looking to settle (slightly) out of town. I read all about that on his “onymous” (it’s a new word that means ‘the opposite of anonymous’) blog.

My sister and brother in law live in Waterbury, I told him to call my brother in law and check out Waterbury. They set a date and spent a wonderful afternoon together.

In short all of this great stuff occurred as a direct result of blogging, Twitter and social-networking 2009 style. These events also occurred in many ways as a result of “onymous” blogging. The charity case required someone be known (in this case, me). There is no way Rena would have found me if I blogged and Twittered anonymously. And if I was an anonymous blogger I never would have connected my sister with two fellow Jews looking for friends and connections.

These are the benefits of “onymous” blogging.

On the other hand (term of art – remember that discussion?), anonymous blogging and Twittering is also great. In particular I point to DovBear’s blog as a bastion of anonymity and great discussion that would admittedly never happen if we all had faces, names and families. The unfortunate realities of the Frum world as they are, almost force us cower in fear when we disagree with authority or tradition and we tend to hide behind familiar rituals, thus avoiding conflict and we are safe behind the veil of secrecy that is anonymous blogging.

Anonymity gives the silent, a voice. It gives us all a chance to be heard.

In truth, we have other things to worry about as well. As Tikkun Olam pointed out, we have Frum leaders blanketing all bloggers as a negative force, when we know that is ridiculous. There are some negative forces and many positive forces in the J-Blogosphere.

Worse is the fear we all feel of expressing our opinions. My opinion on this is transparent as I blog “onymously”. Speak your mind, challenge what you don’t understand but never lose the art of respectful questioning. I am (usually) not afraid to speak my mind and challenge what I don’t understand and thus I don’t need to be anonymous. Plus, I support many of the traditional ideals that “they” espouse. But, the crux of the issue remains the environment which we have created and now support that does not allow for us to challenge.

I say created, and that is self evident. I say support because we “give in” to the cyber bullies that force us to remain anonymous. How much greater impact would have as a group if those whom we challenge knew that we were real people? They should know that we have Yeshiva educations, wonderful families and jobs and we are frustrated with the status quo. But to “them” we are words on a computer screen, not people.

Words are cheap. Words have no soul when they are anonymous. If we want to be heard we need to be people. People have souls and people need to be dealt with. It is easy to ignore anonymous bloggers. People with souls demand attention and can affect change.

Should we strive to create a Frum culture that allows for challenging and questioning?

Are we helping the situation by blogging anonymously?

Do we lose a lot by blogging anonymously?

Do we stand to lose more by “onymous” blogging?

Your Unique Voice and A Kafkaesque Experience

rabbifink — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:26:08 +0000

Last week, Facebook disabled my account. No explanation, no reason, no apology, just gone.

There are terms that each member of Facebook agrees to abide by and I have not violated any of those terms. I have emailed Facebook asking for an explanation or at the very least an acknowledgement that my account has been disabled. So far… nothing.

If you are so inclined, send Facebook an email on my behalf requesting they reinstate my account.

It is incredible how I have come to rely on Facebook as a means to maintaining relationships. I have become accustomed to knowing how my friends and family are doing by reading their Facebook posts. Now I wonder what they are up to…?

Perhaps more profoundly, I have become accustomed to others knowing about my life. Incredibly, I somehow think that others may want to read what I find interesting and listen to my thoughts on current events and social commentary. Now, without Facebook, I feel like a radio show host with no microphone. My voice has been silenced and I do not like it one bit.

Facebook is a social networking site. I think that is a misnomer. Aside from providing networking, Facebook provides a platform. For now, I am without it.

The entire experience has been Kafkaesque and it feels strange to be stripped of your online identity. Thankfully, I have spread my voice out among a few channels. I am on Twitter. What is Twitter? Sign up and you will find out it is like Facebook but just the status updates. So there are no applications, groups or photo albums but there is much more updating. I recommend it for anyone in school or business. Follow my updates by clicking here.

Then there is this blog. I write, but does anyone read? Yes, there are some readers. Would I want more people to read and interact on the blog? Yes. So, if you enjoy the blog, spread the word and link to the blog on your Facebook account or your own blog.

I am happy to reciprocate if I find your content worthwhile.

It is clear, that we all need to be heard. In the 21st century we all have the opportunity to be heard, the harder thing is to filter the noise and find the music you want to hear.

This reminds me of a great Jewish idea. The Jewish people adhere to the precepts of the Torah. We all study Torah and we all find Its depth infinite. As infinite as the Torah is, every single person whe studies the Torah has an opportunity to create a novel idea in the Torah. This is called a Chiddush. Our tradition teaches us that each person can and does create one or several Chiddush thoughts in their lifetime. This is their idea and would have not been heard without that person’s thought.

Each person brings their personality, personal history and world view to their study. Thus, each person can create their own Chiddush which is theirs and always will be theirs. The Torah provides infinite opportunities for everyone’s voice to be heard, to be unique and to be eternal.

The internet is incredible. It has given a voice to anyone who desires to be heard and more importantly, gives all of us the chance to hear those voices. If you like my voice, share it with others.