Tech Jew

100% Electric Cars get on the Israeli Roads

2012-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

Israel's automotive revolution enters the test drive phase.

MOSAIC with Upstart Bay Area and G-dcast

2012-01-08T13:05:00.001-08:00

MOSAIC, CBS 5, interviews explore how Bay Area people's lives are enriched by diversity of cultural and faith perspectives. In this episode, MOSAIC speaks with Maya Bernstein, Director of Education and Leadership Initiatives at UpStart Bay Area, and Sarah Lefton, Founder & CEO at G-dcast - an UpStarter.

Birthright Jewish TV

2012-01-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

Dan Klein of the JTA has just written an important article about Jewish TV, "The true Jewish-owned media tries to make its mark".  It's an honest article, but it's not really a pretty picture:

"It is a strange irony: Jews have been successful in the television business - but Jewish TV, not so much. It’s not for lack of trying. Right now, no fewer than three Jewish-focused national cable channels are trying to carve out a viable niche within the already small niche for Jewish TV. It’s a road others have taken in the past, only to reach a dead end. Jay Sanderson, who served for 21 years as CEO of the Jewish Television Network, knows better than most. 'There’s been dozens of attempts and dozens of failures,” said Sanderson, now the president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. “It’s a cycle that’s been happening for 30-plus years. People want it to happen.” The current Jewish television channels - The Jewish Channel, Shalom TV and Jewish Life Television - have scored some successes. They all launched in the past five years.'"

The article concludes with this reflection by Sanderson:  “I’m sure some of the programming has redeeming value,” he said. 'The question is - is it worth the cost and will it succeed and will it make an impact and will it penetrate the Jewish American community in ways that are successful? I think history doesn’t lie in this particular world.'”

I think Sanderson is right. The value of current Jewish TV programming is very mixed. As the editor of JewishWebcasting.com - where I run a portal/guide to about 400 Jewish sites offering TV, radio, podcasts and webcasts - I've been largely disappointed and unattracted by the Jewish TV product.

Turning on JLTV or Shalom TV has not been for me an engrossing experience.  I infrequently watch both channels.

Klein writes that officials at all three channels say there are distinct challenges in creating a television network aimed at a broader American Jewish audience, and he identifies language barrier and cable system interests. The language issue is problematic because Jews are so acculturated in the US that they have no need for a their own foreign language channel. The cable system problem is that those systems are economic "gatekeepers", that is, they control access to Jewish TV homes, but the small size of the Jewish market makes it economically unattractive to serve.

All the prime movers of these Jewish TV stations are pioneers - I applaude them - and they believe that Jewish TV is critical to the Jewish community. I whole-heartedly agree. But I also believe that leaving this vital function to the "free market" and philanthropists has meant that the Jewish community has been greatly underserved in area.

TV, and the other electronic media, are no longer societal luxuries, but are integral parts of people's identities. Religious identity, cultural identity, national identity, political identity, and so on, are today fundamentally shaped by these new media.

People do have multiple identities. I suspect, but can not prove, that the diminution of Jewish identity in the US is partly a function of the attractiveness of other available identities and the easy access to the media of those identities.

I believe the Jewish community needs to seriously consider the value of the new media - both to individuals and to the community as a whole - with the goal of determining whether communal support should be given to this area. Certainly Israel and the US, and most all other advanced nations, support public TV and radio, and have extended the distribution of those media to the internet with great effectiveness. This begs the question of why the Jewish community does not do so as well.

If such a project gets off the ground, I suggest calling it "Birthright Jewish TV". I suggest that both to honor the Birthright Israel program and to suggest that Birthright Jewish TV was in the same spirit.

Tanach Bible App - the Hebrew/English Bible

2012-01-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Tanach Bible, from Davka Corp., is a wonderful app; and at $1.99, it's great value.

Here's the Apple store description:
Browse, search and study the Bible with Tanach Bible, the ideal study tool for the Hebrew and English Bible on your iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad! Tanach Bible features crisp Hebrew text with precise placement of Hebrew vowels and cantillation marks, and verse-by-verse synchronization between Hebrew, English, and Rashiʼs commentary.

Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) with Professor Christine Hayes

2011-12-31T08:29:00.000-08:00

Here's both a terrific course to take online as well as an example of what Jewish institutions can and ought to offer, though they rarely do.

This Yale College course examines the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) as an expression of the religious life and thought of ancient Israel, and a foundational document of Western civilization. A wide range of methodologies, including source criticism and the historical-critical school, tradition criticism, redaction criticism, and literary and canonical approaches are applied to the study and interpretation of the Bible. Special emphasis is placed on the Bible against the backdrop of its historical and cultural setting in the Ancient Near East. Christine Hayes is Robert F. and Patricia R. Weis Professor of Religious Studies in Classical Judaica. Before joining the Yale faculty in 1996, she was Assistant Professor of Hebrew Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University for three years. Her published works include two books and several articles in Vetus Testamentum, The Journal for the Study of Judaism, The Harvard Theological Review, and various scholarly anthologies. Her first book, entitled Between the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds (Oxford University Press, 1997) was honored with a Salo Baron prize for a first book in Jewish thought and literature, awarded by the American Academy for Jewish Research (1999). Her second book, Gentile Impurities and Jewish Identities: Intermarriage and Conversion from the Bible to the Talmud (Oxford University Press, 2002) was a 2003 National Jewish Book Award finalist.

Jewish News Center Re-named Jewish Newsstand

2011-12-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

The word "newsstand" has been substituted for the words "news center" in our title. It seemed more fitting.

Jewish News Center - most comprehensive source of daily news

2011-12-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Today the Jewish News Center was launched and now represents the most comprehensive source of daily Jewish news. It offers a menu of current "news feeds" from all the internet publications that are available in English, plus many publications in Hebrew and other languages. It includes radio/audio and TV/video news as well as print news from Israel, the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Fifteen different US Jewish publications, thirteen from major cities, are included. The Israel Broadcast Authority site includes daily radio/audio newscasts in fifteen languages.

Jewish Newscast - Demo Details #1

2011-11-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

The webcast is hosted by "Liberated Syndication". It costs $5 a month! And the service has got lots of features in addition to hosting the podcast, such as a webpage for the program, RSS feed generation, the html code to generate the audio/video player on our website.

The recording program is FREE, from Audacity.

The news comes from FREE RSS feeds from various web-based news outlets.

The news is managed using the FREE FeedDemon RSS feed reader.

Any current and inexpensive computer can handle all of this.

Jewish Newscast - Demo

2011-11-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a demo of a Jewish newscast covering issues around the Jewish world. Though the newscast production costs are extremely low, there is not yet outside of Israel a daily Jewish newscast available in any form. This is just a "concept" example prepared by a novice. With a little journalistic and technical support, the concept could be realized professionally and would be of great potential benefit to the community.

In a later blog, I'll share the practical steps involved in this production.

Click here to hear the newscast demo.

Tablet Profiles the RustyBrick Brothers

2011-10-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Tablet, the internet magazine, has an interesting piece on RustyBrick, the Jewish app developer. "From an iPhone shofar to smart Siddurs, the software company founded by twins Barry and Ronnie Schwartz dominates the Jewish app market... The Schwartz brothers are tech-savvy Modern Orthodox Jews, which makes them well-positioned to forecast their customers’ desires. 'Anything we find useful that we want in our phone, we’ll develop,' Barry Schwartz said. RustyBrick’s 25 Jewish apps include an iPhone Siddur, an iPhone Tanach, and a Shabbat app that provides candle-lighting times and has been downloaded more than 400,000 times."

Israel Internet Radio & TV - iPhone & iPad Incompatible

2011-10-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

With all of Israel's tech savvyness, how is it that all of the IBA internet programs are incompatible with Apple products? The iPad and iPhone in particular are the leading edge of today's tech world, yet the IBA has totally missed the boat. This is a hasbara disaster! Hello - is anyone in Israel paying attention? How did this happen? Who will fix this problem and when?

Alef Bet App for Children Released by RustyBrick

2011-10-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

The Jewish iPhone Magazine reports that RustyBrick has designed its first iPhone app designed specifically for Jewish children to learn the Alef Bet, the Hebrew alphabet. The application is an interactive and fun, study guide to be used by young children to learn the ABCs of the Hebrew language. The Alef Bet App works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices and provides a fun, interactive learning experience for your child. It helps your children learn the Alef Bet through pictures, sound, animation, and interactivity. Each letter of the Alef Bet is accompanied by the Hebrew pronunciation of the letter, a picture of a word associated with the letter and how it is pronounced in Hebrew and the English translation. In addition, you can play with the image, moving it, dipping cookies in milk, watching a train drive by and much more.

Digital Dead Sea Scrolls - Online

2011-10-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Israel Museum welcomes you to the Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Project, allowing users to examine and explore these most ancient manuscripts from Second Temple times at a level of detail never before possible. Developed in partnership with Google, the new website gives users access to searchable, fast-loading, high-resolution images of the scrolls, as well as short explanatory videos and background information on the texts and their history. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, offer critical insight into Jewish society in the Land of Israel during the Second Temple Period, the time of the birth of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. Five complete scrolls from the Israel Museum have been digitized for the project at this stage and are now accessible online.

Jewish Journal Launches iPad App

2011-10-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Mediabistro reports that LA's The Jewish Journal just launched what it calls “the world’s first Jewish News app for the Apple iPad.” Aside from content from the Jewish Journal, the app will cull stories from JTA, Reuters and The Jewish Daily Forward. JJ web director Jay Firestone says plans are already in place to move the app beyond news. Social networking, Yelp-like restaurant finders, and user photo uploads are all in the works. “The goal of the app is to be the ultimate Jewish source, not just for Jewish news, but for Jewish life as well.”

WORLD’S LARGEST KOL NIDRE SERVICE LIVE VIA WEB CAST

2011-10-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Jewish Journal reports that what may well be the largest Kol Nidre service of all time, potentially reaching more than 20,000 worshippers around the world, will be conducted by Rabbi Naomi Levy on Oct. 7 at 6:15 p.m (PDT). The live service will emanate from Santa Monica, Ca. and will be transmitted and archived via jewishjournal.com, the largest Jewish news site outside Israel. Kol Nidre is the evening service of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Levy, a rabbi and author, was ordained in the first class of women at Jewish Theological Seminary. She founded and leads Nashuva , Hebrew for, “We Will Return.” Nashuva is a “post-denominational” community that meshes spirituality with social action.

Jewish News One

2011-10-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

The European Jewish Press reported last week that Jewish News One (JN1), the first ever 24-hour global Jewish television, dubbed a ‘Jewish Al Jazeera’, started broadcasting in English.

"We are on air, JN1 began international broadcasting,” announced producer Peter Dickenson at a launch and presentation event in Brussels.

At the same time, Vadim Rabinovitch, Vice-President of the European Jewish Union (EJU), an organization dedicated to promoting Jewish life in Europe, symbolically released dozens of balloons bearing the channel logo in the sky to mark what he called “an historic day.”

Rabinovitch is the JN1's co-owner with Igor Kolomoisky, the EJU President.

The channel has currently offices in Brussels, Tel Aviv and Kiev and plans to expand its presence to Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Washington and London.

Tomer Orni, European Jewish Union (EJU) CEO said: 'The world deserves a global Jewish TV channel and a Jewish point of view on current realities and events. From today, the Jewish people, known as The People of the Book are also the People of TV." Orni thanked Igor Kolomoisky, and Vadim Rabinovitch, EJU President and Vice President who enabled the inauguration of the JN1 "for their leadership, courage, and their financial support."

JN1, which is broadcast via satellite, cable network and internet, to Europe, North America and the Middle East, ambitions to present news from a Jewish perspective, said Alexander Zanzer, head of the Brussels bureau.

"We plan to move forward with further languages including French, Hebrew, Italian, Russian and German," Dickinson said.

He said that the launch of the channel is part of the revolution in the international news industry that started with CNN, BBC World Service and later with France 24 or Russia Today.

JN1 presents itself as a fully independent worldwide news channel which is not tied to any nation, government or political party.

"We’ll broadcast everything that is newsworthy: general news, economic, cultural and educational topics," Zanzer said.

CEA Line Show 2011

2011-06-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to attend the CEA Line show in NYC. The CEA Line show showcases the most innovative technology on the market today. We had the opportunity to speak with David Merel, CEO of Merel Technologies, Leead Staller and Noam Cohen about new technology and how it is influencing our Jewish community.

Anywhere, Anytime: Library Access in the Palm of Your Hand

2011-06-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

The use of mobile devices in libraries is an ever-growing area of development. With the advent and broad usage of mobile devices (PDA’s, iPhones, etc.), the demand for and the ability to use these devices in library settings continue to grow. Issues to be addressed include: library policy with regard to mobile devices, ability to use in the Judaica framework (i.e. character support for mobile application or catalog accessed by mobile device, a look at the uses, needs, and desires of university/graduate students with regard to availability of information in mobile format, and a general look at the use of mobile devices in higher education institutions. Presented by Tina Weiss at the 2010 Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Seattle, WA.

Jewish Tech Meetup, today, will be webcast

2011-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

The inaugural Jewish Tech Meetup, today, will be webcast. Tune in at 7:15pm (east coast) at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jewish-tech-meetup.

The guest speaker will be the Calyx Institute's Nicholas Merrill. A vocal Jewish progressive, Nick was the Internet service provider who challenged the National Security Letters provision to the USA PATRIOT Act and spent six years under gag order for refusing to violate his customers' privacy. He was unable to discuss the ordeal with even his own family. Read his incredible story in The New York Times and watch his Democracy Now! interview. Then join us June 16 to hear from Nick about Internet privacy, security and social change movements, and why the Jewish community needs to take seriously the threat that government intrusion and secrecy pose to personal freedom.

Facing Tomorrow 2011 - Watch Conference Live from Jerusalem

2011-06-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

Facing Tomorrow 2011, the third annual Conference under the auspices of the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres, will take place in Jerusalem, June 21-23, 2011.

The conference will be webcast live over the internet.

The gathering will take place at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, attended by approximately 3500 people from around the world. During the two and half days, 200 of the world’s best minds (half from abroad) will embody the Conference’s plenary sessions and remarkably diverse array of panels, dedicated to designing a better tomorrow. As in prior conferences, Facing Tomorrow 2011 will continue the tradition of welcoming extraordinary individuals from the world over, to enlighten us with their views and their rich experiences. Previous conferences have been privileged with the presence of global leaders, international scholars and activists, poets and scientists, artists and clergy, entrepreneurs, economists and industrialists including: George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Václav Havel, Mikhail Gorbachev and Lech Kacinsky; Nobel Peace Prize Laureates including Elie Weisel and Henry Kissinger, Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry Professor Ada Yonath; Rupert Murdoch, former World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn, Professor Eva Illouz, Baron David de Rothschild, economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer, Yahoo! CEO Susan Decker, Google Founder Sergei Brin, Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, futurist Ray Kurzweil, philosopher and writer Bernard Henri-Levy, Abby Joseph Cohen, Professor Ruth Gavison, Professor Michael Walzer, writer Amos Oz, filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, conductor Zubin Mehta and many more.

Jewish Education Through Gaming

2011-06-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

from eJewish Philanthrophy, May 26:

A Call for Jewish Education Through Gaming and Game Design

by Rabbi Owen Gottlieb

What will “Jewish” look like as today’s new media evolves into tomorrow’s new media? Learners are increasingly Gamers, Designers, and Builders (Tinkerers). New media landscapes allow learners to develop and hone their affinities, teach themselves, and mentor their virtual peers. They collaborate in problem solving online and offline, and their design skills are increasingly important. How does the formation of identity morph as game spaces allow us, through role-play, to try on a variety of new possible selves? What do Jewish educators and leaders need to know as print shifts to digital, the role of teachers increasingly becomes that of guide, and games become a new language of learning?

In the secular world, Games for Learning are receiving a great deal of attention. This inter-disciplinary set of pursuits combines the learning sciences, media studies, design, performance studies, linguistics, and other fields. In particular, Games for STEM Learning (STEM refers to Science, Technology Engineering, and Math) have received attention from the White House and funding from MacArthur Foundation, AMD, Microsoft, and others. But Games for Learning reach beyond STEM (now, some add an “A” to STEM to make STEAM – adding “Art” to the mix.) Games for Learning are being built to teach civics (Sandra Day OConnor’s iCivics.org), environmental awareness, and social entrepreneurship (GlobalKids.org and its student designers). The 2010 Education issue of the New York Times Magazine featured the cover story “Video Games Win a Beachhead in the Classroom,” which discussed the New York City public school Quest to Learn, dedicated to Game-based curriculum, and New York University’s Games For Learning Institute. Idit Harel Caperton’s organization, Globaloria, has spread digital game design classes through public schools in Texas and West Virigina, teaching computer programming to students. Games for Learning and “Serious” Games are expanding in secular educational settings, as they demonstrate the power to engage and teach.

It is a crucial time for Jewish philanthropy to turn to Games for Learning. 97% of today’s youth are digital gamers, and with the proliferation of the iPhone, Android, iPad, and other tablets, games are becoming ubiquitous among adults as well – on subways of NYC and on table tops as gamers enjoy more complex board and card games at home and at parties. To date, no Game for Jewish Learning (based on Learning Science principles) is available for the iPhone or iPad. There are those of us who have the skills to make these games a reality and want to make them happen – to bring knowledge of the learning sciences to bear on the next generation of Jewish education, but to tailor such games to Jewish subjects and audiences, we need support from the Jewish philanthropic community.

In my presentation at the Jewish Outreach Institute’s Judaism2030 Conference, I will present the emerging disciplines of Serious Games and Games for Learning. I will draw connections between current Games for Learning endeavors and the potential they can bring to Jewish education, identity formation, and community in the years to come. And for those who miss the conference, this is a conversation I hope to spread within the larger Jewish community. Let The Jewish Learning Games Begin!

Rabbi Owen Gottlieb is a Jim Joseph Fellow and PhD Candidate in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU, specializing in Digital Media and Learning. He is the Founder and Director at ConverJent. ConverJent is dedicated to the development of Jewish Games for Learning, teaching Game Design for Jewish Learning, and bringing together a community of Jewish game designers with Jewish educators and leaders.

This article is from a series prepared by presenters at Judaism2030: A Working Conference for a Vibrant Jewish Future.

Israeli Innovation Roundtable at AIPAC Policy Conference 2011

2011-06-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hampered by Arab hostility that makes regional trade practically impossible and endowed with precious little by way of natural resources, Israel has beaten the odds to become a major player in the global business world, especially in the technology sector. With the highest number of startups per capita of any nation in the world and massive venture capital investment, Israel is one of the world's entrepreneurship hubs. Watch the roundtable discussion at the AIPAC 2011 conference of Israel's technological achievements - it will amaze you to learn how much of the technology that you use daily came from the tech labs in Israel!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Learn Hebrew Shavuot Video

2011-05-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Learn Hebrew Shavuot Video - 12 Hebrew selections about Shavuot including Hebrew audio, English translations and transliterations. This is an excellent Hebrew instruction video with outstanding audio and video quality in addition to offering students essential Hebrew vocabulary concerning Shavuot.

Google Translate

2011-05-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple yet powerful tool - a Hebrew-English (and other languages) translation program that is both free and available on the Internet. Right now I am using it with my iPhone at a local hotspot - perfect!

AIPAC Conference Videos - Obama, Netanyahu, Boehner, Reid, Cantor, Hoyer & more

2011-05-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Couldn't make it to AIPAC Policy Conference 2011? Catch all the action here. View video highlights, watch full videos of speeches and read transcripts.

Prime Minister Netanyahu Addresses US Congress

2011-05-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

AIPAC Policy Conference - Live on JLTV

2011-05-22T08:26:00.001-07:00

Watch Live on TV! - More than 10,000 pro-Israel activists from all 50 states will fill the halls of the Washington Convention Center today for the start of AIPAC Policy Conference 2011—the largest in AIPAC's history. The theme for this year's conference is "U.S. and Israel: Better Together."

Click here to watch!

62 New Social Ventures Launch in 15 Days

2011-05-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

eJewish Philantrophy reports that beginning tonight, sixty-four social entrepreneurs from around the world will showcase their 62 ventures during PresenTense’s Launch Nights in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The Launch Nights will take place in five cities in the United States and Israel: Philadelphia (May 19), New York City (May 25), Boston (May 26), Tel Aviv (May 30) and Jerusalem (June 2). Interested individuals can request an invitation to their local Launch Night at http://presentense.org/cep/launch-night-request/ .
While at the event, they are encouraged to contribute ideas and connections to help Fellows succeed in their ventures. Those who cannot attend in person, can take part by watching the live-streamed event on the PresenTense website and share their ideas online. http://presentense.org/live/

Encyclopedia Judaica - Online

2011-05-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

The Bureau of Jewish Education of Indianapolis offers on-line access to the 2007 edition of the "Encyclopedia Judaica". The EJ provides an exhaustive and organized overview of Jewish life and knowledge from the Second Temple period to the contemporary State of Israel, from Rabbinic to modern Yiddish literature, from Kabbalah to "Americana" and from Zionism to the contribution of Jews to world cultures. The EJ is important to scholars, general readers and students. This searchable publication makes the vast resource of the EJ accessable in seconds. Articles of course now incorporate hyperlinks to facilitate further related reseach with a single click. Published originally in 1971, Encyclopedia Judaica has been the leading source for information on the Jewish people, the Jewish faith, and the state of Israel. The hardcopy version runs about 18,000 pages and is available in 22 volumes.

William Dodd: The U.S. Ambassador In Hitler's Berlin

2011-05-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Fresh Air's Terry Gross interviews author Erik Larson whose new book, In the Garden of Beasts, is a detailed portrait of William Dodd, a professor at the University of Chicago who spoke German and received his graduate degree in Germany, who served for four years as the US ambassador to Nazi Germany before resigning — after repeatedly clashing with both Nazi Party officials and the State Department. "I was interested in him because I wanted to find out what was that like, to have met these people when you didn't know how all of this would turn out?" Larson says. "We, of course, have the power of hindsight in our arsenal, but people living in Berlin in that era didn't. What would that have been like as this darkness fell over Germany?"

Peter Beinart: The Failure of the Jewish Establishment

2011-05-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

As the Israeli government reflects its growing ultra-Orthodox population, older, liberal American Jews find themselves uncomfortably supporting an illiberal cause, while their children aren’t tempted to support the cause at all. Peter Beinart identifies this schism in Jewish America. "For several decades," he says, "the Jewish establishment has asked American Jews to check their liberalism at Zionism's door and now, to their horror, they are finding that many young Jews have checked their Zionism instead." The event was part of the 2010 Melbourne Writers Festival.

JSA celebrates Israel’s statehood: Vistas of Israel

2011-05-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Israel’s Independence Day (May 9, 2011) the JSA has compiled a special Israeli music mix to honor the spirit of the pioneers. During the 1960s and 1970s the State of Israel produced Vistas of Israel, a series of original half-hour broadcasts which were aired on local radio stations throughout the USA. The programs featured popular Israeli performers of the day, topical discussions, and interviews with prominent government officials and academics. The Judaica Sound Archives has been fortunate enough to acquire an extensive collection of these Vistas of Israel radio broadcasts. Over 400 of these recorded programs will eventually be available to you on this website. The music and topics on these recordings represent an important time in the history of Israel and remind us of the eager pioneer spirit that founded the country. This special JSA collection of songs from Vistas of Israel features the voices of Hendl and Eliran, Shoshana Damari, Theodore Bikel, and Yafah Yarkoni. Unfortunately, the specific dates of these broadcasts are not known.

Property Lost in Holocaust Is Cataloged Online

2011-05-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reports today that the first online database of more than half a million pieces of property lost by Holocaust victims, many in Eastern Europe, had just been uploaded as a first step toward restitution. After years of quiet diplomacy that accomplished little, organizers of the new project, financed by the Israeli government, said the idea was to harness technology in the struggle for restitution and to make as much noise as possible. “This is an activist approach,” said Bobby Brown, executive director of the Holocaust Era Asset Restitution Taskforce, known by its acronym, Project Heart. “We believe there are no secrets anymore about the Holocaust.” Read more here http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/middleeast/03holocaust.html

How Jews Got Their Last Names in Europe in the 18th and 19th Centuries

2011-05-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

As part of the process of modernization, modern nation-states found it necessary to require last names for their citizens. The Jews at first resisted, which caused the government to assign names randomly. When this process was finally complete, a class of identifiable Jewish names was generated, resulting int he desire of some Jewish citizens to change their names to escape anti-Semitism. Presented by Marlene Schiffman at the 2010 Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Seattle, WA.

AJL and the Social Web

2011-05-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

In this two-part presentation, we offer a virtual tour of AJL’s online presence (including the AJL website, blog, podcast, and Facebook page as well as AJL’s Jewish ValuesFinder database). Then we move beyond AJL to explore other Jewish literary websites, blogs, and podcasts. Our emphasis is on “social media” and how we can interact with these online resources rather than being passive consumers of content. Presented by Heidi Estrin and Diane Romm at the 2010 Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Seattle.

The Renewal of the National Library of Israel

2011-05-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

The National Library of Israel is currently going through a renewal process. This lecture describes the stages of this renewal and how we expect to see the NLI in 2020. Presented by Dr. Aviad Stollman at the 2010 AJL Convention in Seattle, WA.

Jewish Technology R&D Vision

2011-05-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Marc Stober presents a vision for a Jewish Technology Research and Development Center to improve religious education. A submission to the Jewish Futures Conference at the 2010 GA.

Jewish Organizations and New Technology

2011-05-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Jewish Week's Aaron Herman reports from the 2011 Non-Profit Technology Conference in Washington, DC. The Schusterman Family Foundation and Darim Online hosted an affinity group session to educate Jewish professionals in using emerging technologies more effectively in their organizations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpbZQIBybKE&feature=player_embedded

Sephardi Jewries and the Holocaust

2011-05-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sephardi Jewries and the Holocaust with Aron Rodrigue - The Holocaust devastated European Jewry and dealt a death blow to the Ashkenazi heartland of Eastern Europe and Russia. What is less commonly known is the fact that it was also disastrous for Sephardi Jewries. The Sephardi communities of Southeastern Europe, the Ladino speaking centers of the Judeo-Spanish world, with Salonica as a principal center, were destroyed or disintegrated, leading to their disappearance from an area where the exiles from the Iberian peninsula after 1492 had reconstructed a transplanted Sepharad. Elsewhere, North African Jewries saw considerable hardship and discrimination under the rule of Vichy France and fascist Italy, and faced real dangers with the German armed forces in Tunisia and Libya, leading in many cases to their profound destabilization which contributed to their eventual mass departures from these lands. The lectures were the Samuel and Althea Stroum Lectures in Jewish Studies of 2005 at the University of Washington.

Deadline Tomorrow for Darim's Online Social Media Boot Camp for Educators

2011-05-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Darim's program will support innovative Jewish educators in using social media effectively in their work, and assist their organizations in evolving models for success in the digital age. Darim is seeking to mentor up to 10 Jewish educational organizations, represented by 3-5 person teams, that are engaged in innovation and risk taking and which serve North American Jews. These teams will participate in a year long professional development and coaching experience to advance their work. The deadline for applications is Monday, May 2, 2011, 11:59pm.

Virtual Shtetl

2011-04-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

The "Virtual Shtetl" is devoted to the Jewish history of Poland. Currently, the portal is a source of information, but in the future it will also include an interactive system by which Internet users will interact with each other. It will create a link between Polish-Jewish history and the contemporary multicultural world. The link here is to a video of Robert Kuwałek from the State Museum at Majdanek of tells about commemorating the Bełżec death camp. http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/video/1058/

Holocaust Remembrance Day - Yom Hashoah

2011-04-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

Holocaust Remembrance Day - Yom Hashoah - is this Sunday, May 1. There are innumerable resources about the Shoah on the internet. Here I would bring to your attention that Netflix has many important films on the Holocaust, both documentaries and fictional accounts, and many are available on demand over your computer. JewishWebcasting.com also lists a huge number of multimedia resources on the Shoah, at http://jewishwebcasting.com/holocaust.htm .

Iranian Jewry: From Past to Present

2011-04-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Webcast of lectures from the 2008 conference organized by the University of Maryland and the Library of Congress. The Jews of Iran comprise not only one of the oldest populations of Jews in the world, but also one of the most ancient threads in the diverse fabric of the ancient Iranian community. Beginning with the Achaemenid period (550-330 B.C.) and lasting beyond the emigration of a portion of Iran's Jewish population to the United States and Israel in the late 1970s, Jews have had a complex interaction with the Persian state and culture. The morning session focused on Jews in Medieval Persian Cultures and Resources for the Study of Iranian Jewry. Click here for the Morning session: http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4507 . The afternoon session focused on Jewish Material Culture and Folk Art and Jewish Culture in Twentieth Century Iran. Click here for the Afternoon session: http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4508

iPhone’s Hebrew keyboard

2011-04-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here's an older article from the "j weekly" of San Francisco that I've just run across; it's still worth reading if you're interested in using Hebrew with your smartphone.

*************************************************

First look at the iPhone’s new Hebrew keyboard

12:42 pm Thursday, June 18, 2009 by rachel leibold

This was the first e-mail I sent from my iPhone after updating the OS to 3.0 last night:

(Translation: "Sweet, I'm writing in Hebrew!")

I know, I'm a huge nerd, but when my boyfriend and I were tittering back and forth during the keynote speech at WWDC a few weeks ago, my big joyful moment was not copy-paste, it was this: "yay, Hebrew supported, woot!" I'm majorly excited about the iPhone (and iPod Touch) finally having a Hebrew keyboard, as well as displaying Hebrew properly (i.e. not backward).

I assume Hebrew wasn't supported in 2.0 because the iPhone isn't yet sold in Israel - and while that's still the case, there are probably enough Silicon Valley ex-pats/Israelis who are, er, "somehow" using the iPhone in Israel to make a Hebrew keyboard a Very Useful Thing Indeed.

Anyway, in case you're wondering how to get the magic of Hebrew on your very own iPhone, here's how to do it (after you've upgraded to 3.0, that is): In the Settings app, click on General, then Keyboard, then International Keyboards. Scroll down to find Hebrew (be sure not to accidentally turn on the Greek keyboard, like I did) and then flick the switch to "on":

Now, when you use any program that allows typing, you'll see a little globe symbol next to the button you press to toggle between letters and numbers/symbols. When you click on the globe, you'll toggle between the English and Hebrew keyboards:

Neat!

That's not all you can do in Hebrew with the iPhone - you can also set the entire system to run in Hebrew (under Settings, click on General, then International, then Language, and choose עברית). Beware, though - if you don't speak Hebrew, it can be a wee bit difficult to turn it back.

The update also adds an internal Hebrew dictionary, so that annoying/super useful autocorrect feature? Will change your עולמs to עולםs with ease.

Netflix - Great Source of Jewish & Israeli Films

2011-04-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Netflix is to my knowledge the best source of Jewish and Israeli movies anywhere in the US. And, dozens of the movies are available "on demand", meaning that you can stream the movies over the internet to your computer. Of course, if your computer is connected to or has a great monitor, you can watch movies with high resolution, just like your TV. In our house, we've connected a basic computer to the TV, connected a remote keyboard to the computer, and then we curl up on the sofa and watch Jewish and Israeli movies, as well as Israeli TV! Here's a snapshot of some of the movies in our "on demand" que of Israeli movies to watch.
http://www.netflix.com/

Jewish iPhone App on CBS Sunday Morning

2011-04-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

The April 24th edition of CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood had a story on religion and technology which included an interview with the developers at RustyBrick of Jewish apps, including most recently the "iPhone Siddur." Here is the video segment covering the app as well as other religious apps and technology. While the majority of the program is not about Jewish technology, it is great to see Jewish technology highlighted in the media and the story deals with important issues concerning religion and technology that are directly relevant to the Jewish experience.

Wolf Blitzer interviews Israeli President Shimon Peres

2011-04-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Wolf Blitzer interviewed Israeli President Shimon Peres on April 5, 2011. They spoke about a number of issues including popular political uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, the stability of peace between Israel and Egypt, negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and threats to regional security.

Women's Roundtable Podcast from Lilith & the Forward

2011-04-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

In this edition of the Women’s Roundtable podcast, a co-production of the Forward’s Sisterhood blog and Lilith magazine, panelists weigh in on what fashion has to say about piety, and they take a look at how feminist Passover rituals have evolved. Lilith editor Susan Weidman Schneider, Lilith associate editor Sonia Isard and Sisterhood contributor Debra Nussbaum Cohen join Sisterhood editor Gabrielle Birkner for the discussion.

Learn Hebrew with Online Audio (free)

2011-04-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Just came across this announcement from Jacob Richman:

This week, I launched a new website called Learn Hebrew Phrases with Audio. Learn Hebrew Phrases with Audio is a free, on-line, educational resource to learn Hebrew phrases and sentences. The flash site incorporates 54 topics with 1,200 Hebrew phrases and sentences. The Hebrew phrases are presented as images with nikud [vowels]. There are English translations and transliterations. The high quality audio was created in a sound studio. The site includes 152 Hebrew study sheets for learning offline. Both the student and the teacher will find the site easy to use and very educational. As mentioned, the site is free to all. Feedback is welcome. Please forward this message to anyone that may be interested in learning Hebrew.

The site url is: http://www.in-hebrew.co.il/

Also, it's not just audio; it's also visual and it looks great!

College App for Jews Coming From Hillel

2011-04-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

ejewishphilanthropy.com reports that

As the largest organization in the world with a focus on university-age Jews, Hillel reaches young adults during a decisive time in their lives when they are open to influences and experiences that will shape their commitment to the Jewish people. Hillel already makes Jewish life accessible to college students physically (at over 550 colleges and communities around the world) and mentally (through meaningful experiences and education); it’s time that we make it accessible virtually (through a mobile app). Thanks to the Jewish New Media Fund grant, Hillel will develop a new model of Jewish community engagement by placing access to Jewish life directly in the palm of students’ hands. The Hillel mobile app will not only provide information about a school, but convey a real feeling for Jewish life on that campus through video, photos, peer-reviews and more. A dynamic college search will allow high school students (and parents and guidance counselors) to explore university profiles based on geo-location or self-selected criteria. The university profiles will include data, video, photos, and articles on Jewish student population, Jewish organizations on campus, and Jewish Studies courses/degrees. It will also provide details on Israel study abroad and travel opportunities, religious services, food (kosher and non-kosher dining options), Jewish housing, and nearby synagogues and JCCs.

Khalikidan's Passover Seder

2011-04-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a lovely video about a young Israeli girl from Ethiopia who helps her family prepare for the Passover Seder. From Shalom Sesame. http://shalomsesame.org/videos/passover_seder.html

Siddur Audio

2011-04-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Unfamiliarity with the Hebrew liturgy is an obstacle which keeps many from experiencing the joy and ruach of participating fully in their synagogue services. This website's aim is to help people acquire the skills to overcome that hurdle. http://www.sidduraudio.com/index.html

Tech Jew heard about this website from its creator, Rabbi Mark Zimmerman, in a comment sent to Tech Jew 4/11/2011. Thanks for letting us know! Here's the comment:

I enjoyed reading your "Tech-Jew" blog. I am a Conservative (also techy) rabbi here in Atlanta, GA.

I thought that you may be interested in knowing about my online web resource that is geared to helping our community learn to chant the Siddur liturgy. The site contains audio clips to learn selections from our Shabbat services, home rituals and weekday davening. I also have made selections from the Passover Haggadah available online.

My website's URL is: http://www.sidduraudio.com

Recently, I also uploaded the entire year of Haftarot on my new website here: http://haftorahaudio.com which is linked to sidduraudio.com as well.

Please feel free to share with whoever might be interested, and if you would ever like any more info please feel free to contact me...

Hag Sameyach,
Rav Mark
Rabbi Mark Zimmerman
Congregation Beth Shalom
Atlanta, Georgia - (770) 399-5300
CBS Web Site: http://bshalom.net
Learn Siddur at: http://sidduraudio.com

Achla Muzika on WBRS

2011-04-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Achla Muzika serves as a center for Israeli music and culture at Brandeis and beyond. Whether through playful themes, the introduction of new musical works, announcements of events of interest, or ticket giveaways to relevant concerts and events, the show and its host seek to broaden familiarity and knowledge of Israeli culture and happenings among listeners. Achla Muzika has been on the air since January 2008 and accepts requests and comments at israeli@wbrs.org . http://achlamuzika.mypodcast.com

The World and Us

2011-04-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

From Melbourne, Australia, "The World and Us” is a one hour program that since September 2010 has been broadcast weekly (with a repeat on Sundays) [except on JewishHolidays] by the Melbourne Jewish Radio Station Lion FM. Lion FM Melbourne Jewish Radio has been broadcasting 24/7 [recorded music only on Shabbat & festivals] on FM locally to Melbourne since September 2010, and is live on the Internet at http://www.lionfm.org/ . "The World and Us" is located at http://theroar.info/

Sha'ar La'matchil and Internet Explorer 9 - Compatibility View Needed

2011-04-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

For web readers of Sha'ar La'matchil, the easy Hebrew newspaper:
The latest version of Internet Explorer, version 9, does not run the newspaper properly. While the Sha'ar La'matchil website opens, the newspaper does not load normally. You need to turn on the "compatibility view" option; that is found on the Menu bar under the Tools tab.

UCLA Course - Holocaust in Film and Literature

2011-04-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Holocaust in Film and Literature is a course that provides insight into the History of Holocaust and its present memory through examination of challenges and problems encountered in trying to imagine its horror through media of literature and film. About the Professor: Todd Presner is Associate Professor of Germanic Languages, Comparative Literature, and Jewish Studies. His research focuses on German-Jewish intellectual and cultural history, the history of media, visual culture, digital humanities, and cultural geography. He is the author of two books: The first, Mobile Modernity: Germans, Jews, Trains (Columbia University Press, 2007), maps German-Jewish intellectual history onto the development of the railway system; the second, Muscular Judaism: The Jewish Body and the Politics of Regeneration (Routledge, 2007), analyzes the aesthetic dimensions of the strong Jewish body.
http://www.youtube.com/user/UCLACourses#grid/user/E162D5967A29AA3B

Jewish Billionaire From Nowhere With Big Jewish TV Plans

2011-04-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

The Jewish Week reports that

Alexander Machkevitch, 57, is a Jewish billionaire little known in America, and from a country virtually unknown in the West — Kyrgyzstan, a Muslim republic of the former Soviet Union. He was in the U.S. last week, seeking a higher profile in announcing his plan to launch an international news network that would rival Al Jazeera and “deliver true information all over the world.” Although motivated in part by his belief that media coverage of Israel is biased against the Jewish state, Machkevitch said that reports in the Israeli press that he planned to start a Jewish Al Jazeera were off base and too limiting. He says he intends to offer a global network in virtually every language as a means of increasing understanding rather than promoting conflict.

Interesting at various levels. One wonders why US Jewry has not yet underwritten a meaningful Jewish TV station. Come to think of it, we don't even have a 21st Century Jewish radio station!

For more details of the story, click here:
http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial_opinion/gary_rosenblatt/being_alexander_machkevitch_jewish_billionaire_nowhere_big_plans

PM Releases Pessah Greeting Video

2011-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

The Jerusalem Post reports (4/14/2011)

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released a Pessah greeting via YouTube on Thursday.

"Have a happy and kosher Pessah," the prime minister said. "Spend time with your families, enjoy the Seder, read the Haggadah."

"For me, and probably for you too, Pessah is one of the most unique Jewish holidays," Netanyahu said in Hebrew. "It is part of a tradition that is thousands of years old, and tells us one thing: Without freedom, there is no existence. The Jewish People were slaves in Egypt, and could not defend themselves from Pharoh's armies. Only when they were freed from Egypt, only when they could escape the exploitation, only when they saved themselves, could they reach the Land of Israel and be a sovereign and free nation in their land. Only then was Jewish existence ensured."

G-dcast's Passover Video

2011-04-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

G-dcast is a non-profit production company dedicated to raising worldwide Jewish literacy using the tools and storytelling style that speak to today’s youth. To date, they have created 62 short films - all available for free on their website - based on Jewish texts that have been viewed nearly a million times on the web, social media networks and mobile devices. Their companion curricula are in use by over 3000 educators at institutions across the Jewish spectrum and around the world.

Here's a sample of their great work.

The Passover Seder...With the Four Sons! from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

Comcast To Debut Holocaust Film Series

2011-04-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

The Forward reports that
http://blogs.forward.com/the-shmooze/#story-2

"Comcast, which bills itself as “one of the world’s leading media, entertainment and communications companies,” is about to launch an on-demand series of films connected to Steven Spielberg. But don’t expect “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Instead, as The New York Times reports today, Philadelphia-based Comcast “is distributing 10 films about the Holocaust in a public service project it is calling Days of Remembrance.” Through an unprecedented arrangement with the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, which Spielberg founded in 1994 to collect testimony of Holocaust survivors, Comcast will give its customers access to ten films, some in English and some in other languages, through video-on-demand and an iPad app, the Times reports. Others will be able to stream the films at XfinityTV.com. Pegged to Holocaust Remembrance Day on May 1, the streaming will start Monday and last through May 25."

iPhone Can Be Very Jewish

2011-04-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I blogged that I do not prefer Apple for Jewish uses generally. Today I'd like to offer a full-throated endorsement of the iPhone for some valuable Jewish uses. I'm right now doing housework and am listening to Israeli radio through my iPhone. As I am not fluent, this is a great way to immerse myself in a living Hebrew lesson. I use three different apps to get Israeli and Jewish the radio stations - IsraeliRadio, Jewish Radio and VisualRadio. They are all available at the Apple App store and they are either free or inexpensive. They bring Israeli stations and Jewish stations from around the world to your fingertips; the audio quality is also outstanding. This is wonderfully convenient and much more user-friendly than any other manner to access Jewish and Israeli radio previously available. Apple clearly is the leader is this area of Jewish life.

Justin Bieber Interview, One Song World & More

2011-04-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/3052
A7 Radio's "Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast" with Ben Bresky reports on the new Israeli website called One Song World which is revolutionizing the music world. Veteren producer Jonty Zwebner talks about the new venture which allows artists and radio stations of all genres better exposure. Plus, a Justin Beiber interview from Arutz HaYeladim about his upcoming concert in Tel Aviv. Also, awesome new Jewish music from: Roi Levy, Yitzchok Meir and the Jewish Unity Project, Jeremy Pesach Stadlin, Darkcho, Mendy Jerufi, and a classic anti-Hitler song from blue legend Leadbelly.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/News.aspx/3052

iPad, Xoom, iPhone, Netbooks, Etc - What's Best?

2011-04-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

I've just completed a hands-on review of a couple of the leading new technology products to see what works best with Jewish radio, TV, podcasts and webcasts. For me, the decision came down to the netbook that I'm using right now because it is compatible with the most programs and the only downside is that it is larger than a tablet, though that is not a critical issue for me.

The major problem with Apple products relative to Jewish multimedia is their inability to play "Flash", the multimedia software widely used on the net. As a consequence, a huge array of important programs of Jewish interest do not work. The programs that do not play include everything from the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), meaning of course the daily newscasts and much more, as well as my favorite easy Hebrew newspaper, Sha'ar La'matchil.

Notwithstanding the hype about The Xoom tablet, using Google's new "Honeycomb" OS and advertised to be compatible with Flash, in actuality the Xoom does not play all Flash programs, including the IBA audio and video programming. Very frustrating.

So, I headed back to the Windows environment and found a netbook that does everything at much less cost. While the netbook is not as gee-whiz as a tablet, and I do like the gee-whiz (I love my iPhone), I've for the moment found my sweetspot for accessing Jewish multimedia.

Forward's Reporters' Roundtable Addresses Richard Goldstone, The Ford Foundation Leaving Israel, and more

2011-04-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

In this week’s podcast, host Josh Nathan-Kazis speaks with assistant managing editor, Larry Cohler-Esess and staff writers Gal Beckerman and Nathan Guttman about what motivated Richard Goldstone to declare in a Washington Post opinion piece that he no longer believed that Israel had a policy of targeting Palestinian civilians during its military incursion into Gaza in 2008–2009. Then the panel discusses why the Ford Foundation is pulling funding from predominantly liberal Israeli NGOs. And in the new segment, “The Best Jewish Story that Didn’t Make the Paper,” the panel takes a look at the travel itinerary of the Crown Prince of Spain before his upcoming visit to the Middle East.
http://forward.com/articles/136855/

Eichmann Trial Uploaded to YouTube

2011-04-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Eichmann Trial Uploaded to YouTube
Israel National News reports that the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial project has marked the passage of 50 years since the trial of Adolf Eichmann by uploading footage of the entire trial to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/EichmannTrialEN). Eichmann, one of the major planners of the Holocaust genocide, was put on trial in Israel in 1961, after having been captured by Israeli agents in Argentina.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143475