Postings include discussions of
Jewish law and tradition, but also an
everyday sharing of life experiences.
That kind of communication is rou-
tine for Jews in big communities, but
rare for those who live in communal
isolation.
Some examples: a subscriber talks
in emotional terms about the first
adult b'nai mitzvah in Cochise
County, Ariz.; several others share
accounts of a Jewish burial some
attended in Rapid City, S.D.
Another tells fellow subscribers
about the role of the list in her life:
"One feels so isolated in small congre-
gations ... I find the Olam Katan post-
ings extraordinary. The depth of feel-
ing, the helpfulness, the ruach [spirit]
in general. I'm so happy to be con-
nected."
Forstein pointed to one quality
that makes Olam a kind of commu-
nity. "We ask that people subscribe
to certain values to participate," he
said. "One is that it is possible to
live a good Jewish life in a rural or
small community setting. Another is
a commitment to pluralism and to
appreciating other points of view,
even if you don't adopt them." An
accepted set of rules, he said, is criti-
cal in creating a place where people
can become close despite barriers of
geography.

The rabbi said the sense of commu-
nity seems to be growing.
"In the past year, we've had more
subscribers who have met in person.
And there is more of a sense of
belonging together, of sharing the joys
and sorrows of life. The list has devel-
oped to be a safe and welcoming envi-
ronment where people feel they can
share in that way." One important fea-
ture of Olam, he added, is the breadth
of participation.
"We have people [posting_ all the
way from secular humanist to
Orthodox," Forstein said. "Some of the
most valuable contributors are
Orthodox Jews; liberal Jews rarely get to
hear the voices of serious Orthodox Jews
who are not seen as condemnatory. "
Other examples abound.
Reform rabbis around the country
— many in small communities —
begin their workday by checking in
with a private mailing list that pro-
vides them with some of the benefits
of a community of colleagues.
"These kinds of Jewish communi-
ties online work very well," said Rabbi
Donald Weber of Temple Rodeph
Torah in Marlboro, N.J. Weber is the
former head of a Central Conference
of American Rabbis (CCAR) commit-
tee on computers.
"I've spoken to colleagues, especial-
ly in the Midwest, who are the only

Ramping Up

The Web is gradually affecting how
some local Jewish institutions do their jobs.

LONNY GOLDSMITH

Special to the Jewish News

S

lowly, slowly, the Internet is
having an impact on metro
area synagogues and commu-
nal agencies. The effects
range from the simple — rabbis
exchanging e-mail — to the more
adventuresome — students searching
Web sires for Judaic content — to the
complex — a rabbi and student in an
online dialogue about a Torah portion.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek's Rabbi
Stephen Weiss says the Internet keeps
him in touch with colleagues around the
country. "We can discuss program ideas,
issues and thoughts on Torah portions,"
Weiss said. "I don't know if it makes
things any easier. For him "it's just

another tool," as he still hits the books
when it comes to Torah study. "I find, as
always, going to a library is the best
place to look up sources."
The national bodies that supervise
the Reform and Conservative move-
ments offer their respective congrega-
tions the ability to set up a Web site.
Many congregations have taken them
up on that offer with the result that all
are fairly similar in their content, pro-
viding basic information about the
synagogue, religious school, member-
ship and programs.
"Most national organizations pro-
vide that," said Alan Yost, executive
director of Adat Shalom Synagogue.
"They don't take an active role, just
provide it as a vehicle."
At Adat Shalom, staff members use

rabbis within 100 miles. It's a way of
having a rabbinic conversation before
they start their days." Even in big
cities, Weber said, rabbis don't have
the time to get together as much as
they would like.
"These kinds of Internet lists do
comprise communities," he said. "You
begin to know the personalities. Some
you love, some you just have to say
`oy..." What makes this a community,
Weber said, is the extended give and
take over time — and the fact that the
discussion addresses the here-and-now
concerns of participants.
Recently, he said, a major theme
has been how rabbis should help con-
gregants deal with news about anti-
Semitic violence.
But Weber, like the other virtual
community pioneers, warns against
regarding these sites as alternatives to
real human contact.
"A person who would sit at a corn-
puter screen all day instead of dealing
with people is alone," he said. "That
person doesn't become part of a com-
munity by being online.
"You can't call in by phone to be part
of a minyan, and there's a reason for
that; when someone comes to the syna-
gogue because someone in their family is
sick, or someone has died, you can't do
that online."

List Sharing
"Jewish Renewal" online communi-
ties are flourishing. PNAI-OR-
RABBI, for example, has served as the
locus for rabbis and chavura leaders
around the country who are involved
in the movement.
"PNAI-OR-RABBI is one of sev-
eral lists — and what they do is cre-
ate a real sense of connection among
people," said Rabbi Jeffrey Marker, a
Conservative rabbi who founded the
e-mail forum six years ago." One
reason for its success as a communi-
ty is the tight control he retains over
the forum; potential subscribers
must write to him and explain why
they think they belong.
That adds to the sense of com-
munity," he said. "We make sure
there are interests and values in
common." PNAI, he said, has aided
in the Jewish renewal movement's
growth. Members are scattered
across the country, and often
estranged from mainstream commu-
nity organizations.
"The lists have provided a way for
people to come together and share
what they're doing in their own com-
munities and what they'd like to do,"
Marker said.
"It breaks down the distance. For a
small and scattered movement, this is
a gift from God." 17

the Internet in a different fashion,
from the clergy researching rituals to
the office staff responding to questions
from members.
"In the office, we also use it to receive
information about members that go into
letters or bulletin articles that used to be
sent in by fax or hard copy," said Judy
Marx, the Adat Shalom Webmaster.
"The members prefer e-mail and it
makes my job easier."
Marx said students at the syna-
gogue's religious school have used the
Web site for interactive projects and to
complete work online.
Like Marx, Weiss uses e-mail to keep
in touch with congregants and works
with bar and bat mitzvah students on
their cl'var Torah, the lesson that the stu-
dent shares with congregants on the
meaning of the Torah portion.
"They meet with me to look at
commentaries, send me a draft over e-
mail and I return comments to them,"
the rabbi said. "It's very quick and I
can develop a relationship with them.
It's a fun connection for me."
The Shaarey Zedek Hebrew High

School students at the Irving and
Beverly Laker Center in West
Bloomfield use the Internet regularly to
take part in a Talmud course.
Some local agencies will be using
an Intranet system that makes their
respective jobs easier. The agencies
that comprise the Commission on
Jewish Eldercare Services, Jewish
Home and Aging Services, Jewish
Apartments and Services, Jewish
Family Service, Jewish Vocational
Service, the Jewish Community
Center and the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit will have their
client databases linked together to
provide services more effectively.
"COJES agencies can, through the
Intranet, go into JVS or JFS databases
for referral information rather than
recreate the wheel," said Barbara
Nurenberg, JVS executive director.
"When a call comes in and the client
indicates they need a service and want
a connection made through the
Intranet access, we can get the infor-
mation to the right agency and they
),
can call them back.

,

9/3
1999

Detroit Jewish News

129