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A 'Virtual Jerusalem'
For Armchair Tourists

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JAMES D. BESSER WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

erusalem is more than just make reservations from your
a place, so it's not surpris- home computer.
I clicked on Haifa, and quick-
ing that a new site on the
World Wide Web —Virtu- ly got the straight dope on more
al Jerusalem — seeks to extend than a dozen hotels.
In the What's New" section, I
the idea of the city into a kind
of organizing principle for the found a link to Cameri, Israel's
whole incredible expanse of leading repertory company, an-
Jewish information on the In- other to a site offered by the As-
sociation of Americans and
ternet.
Virtual Jerusalem is a com- Canadians in Israel, a group pro-
mercial Web site with links to a moting immigrant absorption.
variety of other interesting places And there was a link to Bat Kol
with Jewish content. But unlike Online, an independent Jewish
other more general Jewish places women's journal written from a ,-\
distinctly Orthodox
on the Net, Virtual
rspective.
Jerusalem never
Click on the "Snap-
strays far from the
shot" category, and you
place that provides its
can view a Jerusalem
name.
Photo Album with
Begin on Virtual
dozens of graphic views
Jerusalem's home
of the city and its peo-
page (http://www.vir-
ple.
tual.co.i1), a kind of
Virtual Jerusalem
central directory high-
also offers news from
lighting some of the in-
Israel, although it
formation available on
the Web site, and providing easy seems the news isn't always very
timely. Still, you can scan recent
access to the rest.
From there, the creators of headlines and read selected arti-
Virtual Jerusalem use an un- cles from the Jerusalem Report.
usual metaphor: Their site is di- Soon, you will be able to use your
vided into "neighborhoods" and computer's audio software to lis-
"city services," each a big collec- ten to the English-language
tion of links to the sites of Virtu- broadcasts of Kol Israel.
Virtual Jerusalem also offers a
al Jerusalem clients. You pick
the links you want by clicking on good selection of Jewish and He-
underlined words, or. cruising brew software.
Like the city itself, Virtual
through Virtual Jerusalem's
Jerusalem has some rough and
elaborate menu system.
So, in the arts and entertain- unattractive neighborhoods. The
ment neighborhood, you can scan interface can be confusing and a
sections on theater, video, cine- little clunky, although with
ma, fine arts, culture and multi- enough mousing around, even the
media, most with a strong Israel novice Internaut should be able
emphasis. The education neigh- to find interesting links without
borhood offers what amount to too much fuss.
More of a problem is the fact
electronic brochures for a num-
ber of yeshivot, youth hostels and that Virtual Jerusalem is very
other educational institutions in Netscape-centric. If you aren't us-
ing the Netscape browser — a
Israel.
The teen neighborhood, brand of software on your com-
dubbed the "Virtual Teenage puter that connects you to the
Hangout," is under construction; World Wide Web — you may get
eventually, it will include news some funny-looking screens and
about Israel for the younger set, some impolite behavior from your
information on social action computer as you move around.
I tried Virtual Jerusalem using
groups in Israel that seek par-
ticipation by teen-agers, and, of IBM's WebExplorer, an excellent
browser, and also with the stan-
course, music and videos.
Naturally, there's a neighbor- dard browser on America Online;
hood for shopping, where you both worked, but inelegantly.
check out and order books from Hey, guys, please remember:
the ArtScroll catalog on - line, or there are lots of non-Netscape
visit a handful of art galleries. users out there in cyberspace.
But that's not a fatal flaw. On
Much more is expected soon.
The Israel Hotel Association balance, Virtual Jerusalem is a

161

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The Maccabi Club
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extend a hearty thank you to the following organizations
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1

offers an on-line database of fa-
cilities and prices. On Virtual
Jerusalem, you can click on a city
and scroll through a list of hotels,
or you can search by area or
price. And, of course, you can

promising site that eventually will
offer a wealth of information
about the city, its institutions and
its businesses, and a handy point
of access for Jews who can't get
there in person. 0